In Everything We Do
by wirenoose
Summary: Their ribbons reach out to him, shimmering and glowing, begging for him to take them in hand once again. But he can't. They've been ripped away already, and to hold them again is something he's not ready for. Now, he's content to stay in the shop, their shop, and help around where he's needed, or help at the infirmary.
1. Chapter 1

And, here's the Magic AU I promised! Again, I suggest checking the AO3 tags.

* * *

The signs exist for miles, some within arm's reach of the castle walls, but the actual house is on the outskirts of the castle city. Follow the elegantly lettered signs down through the main square and past the clustered housing developments and one can find themselves on the road to the witch's house.

Simply called the "house down the road' when giving directions, it's surrounded by a sprawling garden and backed by the forest. A river runs a short jog from the house and what looks to be a lifetime's supply of firewood is stacked up along the wall. It's a two level house, the main floor is home to a shop while the second floor contains two bedrooms and an office. The front windows are a conglomerate of stained glass shards in dark and light blue, green, yellow, purple, and dark pink.

A pretty wooden sign sits just outside the house, lettered in bright pink, with light blue designs around the edge it reads, "The Miracle Shop".

Inside is another story entirely. Neatly organized shelves hold brightly colored bags full of specialized concoctions, bubble glass bottles line table tops, while a seemingly endless amount of charms and trinkets hang from the ceiling. Ceramic bowls sit in random places, each filled with a different kind of spelled item; lucky stones in one, mood enhancing necklaces, even rings that dispel minor sickness. The colored windows throw rainbows about the room, making everything shine and shimmer. The small counter further in holds scales and measuring scoops, as well as display boxes of talismans and spells. Enchanted tapestries hang on the walls, the very air is sated with magic.

The shop's claim to fame is the witch who runs it, as well as the knight who works with her.

The witch has had success across the kingdom, it's said her magic stretches far beyond commercial shop items, but no one can, or will, attest to the fact. She's a nice young lady, all smiles around customers, but a stern expression to unruly ruffians who start trouble in her shop. She specializes in emotional magic, and her most sought after service is matchmaking. She's the only Matchmaker west of the mountains, and the only one who's never had an instance of failure in the field of love.

There are many theories as to how she works her magic, even those she sets up aren't entirely sure. Some say that she can see fate strings, and others say she can see the future. But she gives away nothing.

Even if she weren't so successful, the customer flow would still be high. The shop is the unofficial meeting place for the Baron and his best knights. Granted, they don't come by as often anymore, but there was a time when one could walk into the store on any given day and see the famous fighters of their kingdom.

The knights are often away, and the Baron is usually with them, leaving a duo composed of a retired captain and a medical genius with the rank of a general in charge in his stead. They are revered well enough, but everyone knows that the Baron holds sole power.

Regardless, the Miracle Shop and its witch prosper.

* * *

Super points to whoever guesses who the retired captain and general ranked doctor are.


	2. Chapter 2

Nothing like an exposition heavy chapter to get the ball well and truly rolling.

* * *

He stands his ground, doing his best to keep everyone synced together. It's been getting harder lately. They've been pushing, all of them, fighting the sync that took so long to build. They're supposed to be a unit, a team, but now Kuroko has to fight to keep them together.

Their voices clamor in his head, the color of their emotions stabbing his eyes, burning more vicious than they ever have.

Aomine breaks away first, his ribbons, once a healthy blue that have been darkening for months, vanish, and Kuroko can't hear or feel him.

Murasakibara is next, his lazy ribbons the color of lavender hardening into something like poisoned wine and it burns, practically ripped away. Kuroko nearly drops to his knees, tightening his grip on the others, trying to hold onto them.

Midorima follows, less painful, but the sight of his ribbons slipping away stings more than it should.

Kise and Akashi are the only ones remaining, and Kuroko grinds his teeth. He'll keep them tethered, make sure they're strong. He'll keep them safe, make them invincible, he'll-

Kise disappears, Kuroko thinks he hears an apology as the sparkling gold leaves his hold. There's a lingering sense of guilt, but it's washed out by the cold confidence that's infiltrated all of their ribbons in the past months.

It's just Akashi now, his ribbons have always been deep and dark but they've become perforated in a heady gold. Kuroko doesn't want to let go of him too, he can't, it's his job to make them stronger. He helped them become the most powerful unit the kingdom has ever seen. He tied their emotions together, eased their thoughts so they could work as one entity.

But they don't want that anymore.

"They can do this without you now, Tetsuya, they have become strong."

Then Akashi is gone to, leaving easily as if Kuroko hadn't been holding him at all. He drops to his knees, pain sparking a wildfire in his head. The sudden emotional deficit within him tears a strangled cry from his lips, wrings him dry until he's never felt so empty. There are no emotions close enough for him to sense. His friends' ribbons are being kept from him, they've closed him off, shut him out. He can't feel anything.

That's not normal. He's always felt something. Momoi's love. Kise's optimism and his doubt. Akashi's cool and calculated self assurance. Murasakibara's boredom and childish glee. Midorima's quiet amusement and his care. Aomine's confidence...There's always been something. But he can't feel them, any of them, they've rejected him.

Empaths aren't meant to be empty. They are supposed to feel everything, the good and the bad, all of the joy and pain and fear of those around them. The bonds Kuroko established with his friends all those years ago had been the most he's felt. Their emotions were so deep seated in his power that he often had trouble differentiating between those and his own. He could sense their insecurities, the little streaks of color in their ribbons when they saw something or someone they cared for. He loved seeing the glow that the ribbons took on whenever the lot of them returned from a border skirmish or a private mission.

But that's all gone now.

The ride back to the castle is-

Kuroko opens his eyes, blinking slowly as the wood paneled ceiling comes into view. All of Momoi's charms sit there, some pulsing with a light glow, while others spin. One in particular is supposed to lull him into a proper sleep.

It usually works.

There's the faintest strains of chatter drifting up through the floorboards, he can feel ribbons of excitement, pink and warm, filling up the shop below. It's Momoi. But there is one other. It's too early for the shop to be open so it's likely that she's speaking with a friend, or a supplier of some sort.

He doesn't really want to get up, it's been getting harder and harder to as the days wear on, the dream memory notwithstanding. It's too early in the morning to be awake anyways, but Momoi never seems to sleep. It's barely light out, most of the inner city isn't awake at this time, Kuroko doesn't think he should be either. But it's hard to sleep when Momoi's ribbons get started.

Her ribbons have always been louder than most. The pink sings and glows so bright it almost hums. On more than a few occasions, they've given him headaches. But that all means Momoi's happy, so he doesn't complain.

He slips from his bed and pulls on some day clothes, not bothering to tame his hair; Momoi will do that for him later. The steps creak as he makes his way downstairs, smothering a yawn in his sleeve. Why Momoi insists on setting up the shop so early, he doesn't know, but there's not much he can do about it, she is the boss after all. And he'd rather not get on her bad side.

"Ah, Tetsu, good morning!"

"Good morning."

He's right, Momoi is by the front door, talking with one of her more trusted errand boys. She looks as bright as she always does, her ribbons dancing about. She's forgone her usual attire for something less attention grabbing; a light pink dress with a multi layered skirt, and her leather apron with the pockets already full of reminders and random bottles from around the shop. She's still wearing her rings though. On her left hand, the green, purple and dark pink ones; on her right, the yellow, dark and light blue rings. It looks like the yellow ring has a new scratch.

Kuroko doesn't pay the two of them any mind, instead moving to the kitchen just off the main body of the shop where Momoi has coffee already prepared.

When Takao's left, and taken his annoyingly buzzing ribbons with him, Momoi makes her way to Kuroko and affectionately smoothes his hair into a semblance of order.

"Is it an okay or a bad day?"

"I was at the infirmary until late last night, I just didn't sleep well, I'll be fine."

The pink ribbons surrounding Momoi stretch out to him, curling about his body in an attempt to cheer him up. He smiles softly and pushes himself to stand. While he didn't quite answer her question, Momoi's known him long enough to decipher his words.

"Hmm, well, you take a minute to ready yourself, I'll whip you up something for energy, does that sound all right?"

"Thank you."

He watches Momoi rummage around in her cupboards, pulling down elegantly labeled jars and a small cup. Kuroko likes watching her work, her attention is solely focused on the task at hand and her eyes are light with their usual joy. The mixture seems to come to life in her hands, changing color every few seconds until it's only a few shades away from the pink that surrounds her. She dances over to him and tips the contents of the cup into his coffee where it dissolves without issue. Kuroko takes a sip and feels the usual spark at the base of his skull when he swallows.

Momoi stands behind him, a brush in one of her front pockets. She combs her fingers through his hair, light magic pouring from her fingertips. The magic helps stabilize the mixture she'd put in his coffee, makes it last longer, and calms him down. After the magic has seeped in, Momoi goes to work with the brush. Once his hair is tamed, and his coffee is gone, Kuroko manages to stand up without any of his limbs shaking.

"There we go!" Momoi says, clapping after setting the brush on the table, "Let's get started."

Kuroko organizes the day's pick ups, rewriting some of the faded labels and double checking the instructions on the medicinal bottles. Momoi sets to restocking the shelves, making notes on which products are selling out fast.

"Tetsu?" she calls from the shelf with the mood enhancers.

"Yes?"

"Can you redo the labels for these? I think we need to make them simpler, I remember somebody coming in looking as though they'd taken an entire bottle at once."

"Just a moment."

While Kuroko inks the instructions into the stamp, Momoi clears her throat in the way she always does when she wants to talk about something sensitive.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Well, Takao told me...he heard that they were on their way back." Her voice is soft and it barely carries over the always ringing chimes. He spares a glance to the pink ribbons about her. They've mellowed out some, streaked in light tones of yellow.

"That's good news," Kuroko says after a few heart beats of silence. It explains his dream well enough.

"Oh, be more excited Tetsu, they're our friends."

Kuroko doesn't grace her with a response, not trusting anything that could come out of his mouth. He doesn't want to hurt his friend, doesn't want to upset her actually, so he stays quiet. Understandably, that's not the right course of action.

"Tetsu!" Momoi's hand comes down on his shoulder and he looks at her ribbons.

There's no anger overlaying the bright pink. The yellow is gone, replaced instead by strains of grief.

"I'm sorry, Momoi, it will be nice to see them again," Kuroko is incredibly grateful for the fact that Momoi isn't an Empath, elsewise, it would be a lot harder to lie to her.

She wants to say more, but a handful of customers pour in and she brightens, welcoming them.

Kuroko finishes getting the instructions stamped and reattaches them to the various bottles. Momoi is busy with a young couple, tugging them into her work room, babbling about how she can already tell how perfect they are together.

He stays at the front desk, tying the loop of bells to his wrist. He's invisible usually, the bells draw attention so people don't startle as bad. He nearly gave the baker's wife a heart attack when they first opened the shop.

The front bell chimes and Kuroko looks up, pleasantly surprised to see one of their regular customers. He shakes his wrist slightly to say hello and Kiyoshi grins.

"Good morning Kuroko," he grins, ducking under some of the charms hanging from the ceiling.

"Good morning."

Kiyoshi's prescription is with the other pick ups, but Riko's package is in the back.

"Momoi finished last night," he says, hefting the heavy box onto the counter. Riko's monthly kit is something of a miniature infirmary. She and Kiyoshi are in charge of training, and Riko puts them through hell.

"I'm sure our new recruits are going to be thrilled."

Kiyoshi is tired, Kuroko can see the the thick stripes of grey beneath his weakly applied pink. So he calls the taller man out on it.

"Ah, I guess there's no point in lying to you," he chuckles, "I haven't been sleeping well, if at all. Riko keeps badgering me about it but I can't really tell her that it's my knee."

The smile on Kiyoshi's face has always been there, and Kuroko always forgets that ordinary people can't tell as easily as he can that it's fake. He and Momoi have been treating Kiyoshi for his knee ever since he ruined it in the first place, Kuroko knows especially just how bad it is.

"Come around the counter, I'll see what I can do," Kuroko says, nodding his head towards the lifting entrance that leads behind the counter. Kiyoshi could probably easily jump over it, but the last thing they need is him landing badly.

Kiyoshi nods and does as instructed, Kuroko points him towards a stool and he sits down, waiting as the smaller man rummages around beneath the counter.

Kuroko sits down on the ground in front of Kiyoshi, his head almost level with the giant's knee. He hikes up Kiyoshi's pant leg, grateful that he's outfitted in his training clothes instead of his full blown status uniform, and settles his hands on the other's skin. The contact allows for a broader spectrum of color, allows for Kuroko to see the little blooming roses of pain that decorate Kiyoshi's are more of them than the last time Kuroko checked, and they're even bigger. No wonder he's been hurting, Kiyoshi had accelerated their deterioration in a short period of time, of course the prescription he's taking isn't enough.

Kuroko rubs his eyes to get rid of the vivid colors and stands up. He takes a few minutes to mix up a new prescription, something stronger, with a healing accelerant, and writes down the new dosage.

"Try this instead. I won't say anything to Miss Riko if you let me check again next week," Kuroko decides, placing the bottle into a leather pouch and setting it atop Riko's package.

"Of course, thank you Kuroko."

Kiyoshi sets down the usual payment, plus some for Kuroko's check up. Kuroko knows he won't be able to talk him out of it, so he accepts the coins with a small smile and waves Kiyoshi out.

By the time Momoi is done with the couple, seven other customers have come and gone, and one of her appointments is waiting. Kuroko stays busy, trying not to spook customers, and assuring them that 'the Matchmaker will be out eventually, but if you'd like to meet with her later, can you write your name on the list?'.

Kuroko is somewhat exhausted by closing time. Momoi had been kept up with an unusually heavy customer flow and had been unable to mix another boost for him. He's due at the infirmary again though, so Momoi sends him off with a hug and a set of shipments due at the castle. He loads them into a satchel and sets off. In hindsight, he probably should have eaten before leaving, but it's too late now. It's a long walk to the castle, but Kuroko doesn't really mind; sometimes it's nice to leave the shop.

Riko's waiting for him at the infirmary doors, she's got a bruise blossoming across her cheek, and he jingles the bells at his wrist so she doesn't spook as bad as she usually does.

"Ah, Kuroko, hurry on in," her eyes are fixed on the darkening sky before she pushes open the door and waves him through.

"Do you need something for your cheek?" he asks.

"Huh? Oh, this? No, thank you, just a rookie knight. I had him running laps until he passed out. He's fine now though, until tomorrow at least."

Kuroko chuckles weakly, avoiding the unsettling smile on Riko's lips.

"Well, I'll take these shipments to the Head, you go on and get started," she ruffles his hair and takes the packages from his satchel. She's through a second door before he even registers the weight difference in his pack.

There are four cots along the wall, each one home to four knights who'd returned with strange effects. These four are what remains of the group that was massacred in an ambush some two months ago. When they'd returned, Kuroko had been fetched immediately. They'd been thrashing, screaming, lost in their heads and it had taken a full day just to get them to stay still.

He takes his seat beside one of the beds and takes the man's hand. He'd figured a few weeks ago that the men are trapped in their memories from the battle, apparently it was so bad that it put them nearly comatose. He's been working his way through them, and this particular knight, a rookie from what he can remember, is the most receptive to his magic. He's gleaned quite a bit of information, all but a name at this point really, and it's somewhat unsettling.

While connected to the rookie, Kuroko can feel everything, each moment as though he's the one living it. He can feel the drive, the joy, and that wouldn't be a problem if he didn't also feel the sense of being better.

It does him no good to dwell on that again, not ever if he can help it.

With a deep breath, Kuroko bows his head and begins to sift through the images in the man's head once again

* * *

If you've got any questions let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

I told myself I'd get something done, it's a little shorter than the first but here we are.

* * *

"The rain doesn't look to be letting up, I'd rather you stay here the night, I'm sure Momoi will figure out the situation."

The head doctor is an aging man, Riko's dad actually, but his nerves are like steel and he used to be quite the force to be reckoned with in his day. He looks up at Kuroko with a smile before gathering up his things, preparing to go to his quarters just off the infirmary.

"Ah, thank you sir, that sounds like an excellent idea."

Kuroko has his own cot, he's stayed overnight enough times to have a small placard made. He lays down, not bothering with a blanket, instead curling up and closing his eyes.

Sleep has never really come easy to him, it's an unfortunate downside to being an Empath; emotional energy never dies, it's little more than a tangible mass of colored knots inside of him and he spends his waking hours trying to untangle it. With a quiet sigh, Kuroko hopes he can at least rest if he can't sleep.

Lady Luck is apparently not on his side as the infirmary doors burst open and someone rushes in.

This someone is a someone Kuroko has never seen before. Their ribbons are something of a mess. They're glowing and look to have a light base, but they're streaked in too many layers, grey and light blue and purple and dark green. It's giving Kuroko a bit of a headache.

With the glowing from the person's ribbons, Kuroko can make out what they look like. They're not wearing the insignia of this particular guard, but it looks familiar to Kuroko for some reason. Their hair is dark, obscuring part of their face, but from what Kuroko can see, they have dark eyes. A broadsword hangs from their waist, and a canvas protected bow case is strapped to his back.

He's soaking wet.

The wall torches have been put out but the candles are all still lit, though they're only enough to illuminate Kuroko and the front entry. Kuroko climbs out of his bed, subconsciously drawing on this person's ribbons.

"Are you the head doctor here?" the person asks.

"No, but I can help you if there is something you need? My name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

"I'm Himuro Tatsuya. I received a delayed report that my brother had been greatly injured. I would have been here sooner, but like I said, the report was delayed for some ungodly reason. He's here, right? I need to-"

Kuroko knows the name, and now recognizes the face. This man is the one he's seen flitting in the edges of memories for the past two months.

"Your brother?" he asks.

"Yes, Kagami Taiga. Uh, he's freakishly tall, 's got red hair and-"

"Please come closer." Kuroko rummages around in his bag for one of Momoi's charms. It's a small porcelain marble, roughly the size of a grape. He shakes it until it starts to shine and he tosses it up in the air, where it stays. After a few seconds, it sheds light on the entire room.

Himuro lurches forward, exhausted apparently as well as dripping wet, and settles himself by Kagami's bed.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's been unconscious for two months. I've been able to search in his mind to bring memories and emotions to the forefront, in order to wake him up. He's responding better than the other three. With luck, it should only take a couple of weeks from this point, a month at most," Kuroko reports monotonously.

He really is tired, and Himuro's ribbons aren't helping him in the slightest.

Himuro is standing as still as he can while shivers wrack his body, but his eyes are riveted on the body of the rookie knight in the bed. Slowly, his ribbons fade in their glow, turning grey until the other colors are nothing but slivers. The strange bit is that they don't seem solid, the gray wavers, like a layer of tinted water, Kuroko can see through them.

He's not sure what to say of the brother claim, the two can't possibly be any more different. So he voices his concern.

"Oh," Himuro coughs uncertainly but doesn't move away from Kagami. "We're not related by blood. He's from here, originally, but his parents are merchants and we met as children in the kingdom where I'm from. He moved back and I stayed there, until I got the report."

"How did you get the report?"

"I keep tabs on him, and I told one of our traveling scouts to bring me news whenever he came here. But I was at sea for about a month, and when I came back…"

"Understood."

Kuroko takes up his seat on his cot and yawns. Kagami, as apparently that's his name, has no ribbons that Kuroko's been able to see. But there seems to be the faintest glow of red when Himuro bows his forehead to rest on Kagami's knee.

Neither of them get a wink of sleep, Kuroko resolves to stare at the ceiling, idly wrapping Himuro's ribbons about his hands.

Momoi had said they were on their way back. If he remembers correctly, they're four days down the river and three across land. The closest checkpoint is two days out. They'll be back either late the next day, or early the morning after. Kuroko doesn't know which is worse. Momoi will eagerly await their arrival at the shop, but they'll have to go the castle first.

Maybe Kuroko can lock himself in his room.

The rain doesn't let up until morning. Himuro's ribbons are thoroughly streaked in exhaustion and Kuroko can feel it. He stands up, stretching a moment before putting on his shoes.

"I'll walk you to the inn," he offers, slipping on his bag.

"Oh, thank you." Himuro gets up slowly rolling out the cricks in his back and neck. He stutters in turning around, glancing back at Kagami.

"He'll be fine," Kuroko says, "Our doctor is the best."

Once the both of them are ready, Kuroko holds his hand out for the marble charm. The lights vanishes and it drops into his hand. He stows the marble in his bag then looks up to take in Himuro's curious gaze.

"Are you a warlock?" the knight asks.

"No, but my friend is an accomplished witch."

Kuroko scribbles down a quick note for Kagetora before opening the door. The castle is just starting to awaken, there's a multitude of people running about, making preparations for their knights' return. Kuroko waves Himuro past all of them until they're outside the walls and in the town square.

As they walk, he fishes in his bag for one of their tokens. He has three of them, for the rare occasion that someone may need to get in touch with him or Momoi. It's a simple wood circle, stained dark and glossy, carrying a sheen of pink and blue, Momoi's official insignia stamped into one side, with Kuroko's former knight emblem on the other. They also serve as seals of approval, as the both of them have ties to the Baron, they're basically vouchers.

They arrive at the inn as the sun settles in the sky.

"Here," Kuroko says, holding out the token, "If you need to see Kagami again, you can show that to the head doctor, Kagetora, and he'll let you in without a fuss."

Himuro takes the token, turning it about his fingers before casting a curious look up and down Kuroko.

"So you're a knight then, this emblem is vaguely familiar, but only a knight would have it."

"Technically, yes, but I don't use that title anymore."

Apparently appeased with the answer, Himuro gives Kuroko a tired thank you before opening the door.

Shifting his straps, Kuroko gives a quiet sigh before making his way down the road. The shop will already be open when he gets there, but seeing how he's the only one making his way there, he can't imagine that it will be too incredibly busy.

Originally, Momoi had wanted to set up the shop in the town, ease of access she'd said. But when it became evident that Kuroko wouldn't be able to function with so many ribbons around, they moved down the road. It all worked out in the end though. It's prime location; near the river and the woods, just barely out of sight from the town so Momoi can practice particularly large scale spells without the worry of accidentally setting something ablaze.

The front window pane seems shinier than usual, Kuroko does his best to ignore what that means.

Surprisingly enough, there's no one inside. Momoi must have decided to close for the day then.

He finds her in the kitchen, humming as she stands in front of her small work table.

"Oh, Tetsu!" she pulls him into a hug. "You stayed at the infirmary right? I figured when the rain got heavy."

"Yes. The man who's been unconscious, his brother arrived, I gave him a token."

"Brother?"

"Not by blood apparently. But he's a knight from another kingdom. His name is Himuro, the other's is Kagami." Kuroko eases into one of their chairs and rests his forehead against the tabletop.

"Do you really think you'll be able to wake him up?" Momoi pulls down the all too familiar ingredients for Kuroko's morning boost of energy and mixes it into a mug of coffee.

"Most likely, he's responding. I almost saw his ribbons."

"What about Himuro's?"

"They're strange, I don't think I've seen anything like them before."

He's said these words before.

Aomine's ribbons, as opposed to glowing, seemed to be made of light, always casting their owner in a wash of vibrant blue that often times hurt to look at. Kise's ribbons shimmered, like they were made of millions of particles of golden sand, always shifting, circling around Kuroko's fingers. True to form, Murasakibara's ribbons were massive, billowing and restless at every waking moment, constantly drifting about like a lavender river trying to carve its way into a valley. Midorima's ribbons were the clingiest that Kuroko had ever seen, though there was technically only two of them, they split off into smaller ribbons, green vines that looped their way amongst everyone else's. Akashi's ribbons, when they ran into others, would accept a few strains of color, temporarily dyeing the end of that ribbon.

But things are different now.

Aomine's ribbons no longer shine. Kise's don't shimmer. Murasakibara's have stopped moving altogether. Midorima's wind close to his body. And Akashi's ribbons aren't red anymore, and instead of accepting color from other ribbons, they bleed gold.

And Kuroko can't feel any of them.

He picks up his head a little and drops it down to the table again, distantly processing the fact that Momoi's fingers are now in his hair.

"You don't have to see them first thing, if you really don't want to," she says, sitting down beside him. "But they'll ask for you, Ki-chan will, and Dai-chan always does."

"I know they do. And they know what needs to be done." Kuroko sits up enough to drink his coffee, waiting for the buzz in the base of his skull.

"I don't think they know how," Momoi says.

Not much information is actually put to paper on Empaths. They aren't all that common though there used to be a practice of having them as advisers. That all fell out when an Empath used their power to manipulate a king, which led to a small war. Now Empaths are few and far between.

As a unit, they'd worked for years. Kuroko had tied all of them together, integrating ribbons and burying anchors in himself so deeply that he could feel all of them with more clarity than he had anyone else.

Then they ripped out those anchors, cut Kuroko out of the picture.

It still hurts.

"They'll need to figure it out then," Kuroko says, standing up. "I'll be at my outcrop until the day after tomorrow, I'll see them afterwords." If he stays holed up in his room, Akashi will know he's there and send Murasakibara to retrieve him like a cat from a tree.

Momoi still looks troubled so Kuroko reaches to pat her hands.

"I'm sure everything will work out," he says.

And maybe he feels a little guilty. Empaths are the best liars around after all. But he'll say anything to make those streaks of anxiety vanish from Momoi's ribbons.

* * *

Make sure to check the tumblr blog for info on story progression


	4. Chapter 4

Well, here's my 2k apology for the super long absence. I got so caught up in Sunbeams, my apologies. But I'm still alive, and this story's not dead!

* * *

It's a half day trip to his outcrop, a half day through forest and over a concerningly wide river. The outcrop isn't all that big, it doesn't have to be. There's a basin, a small stream running through, and his outcrop juts over the edge. The drop is high enough to kill him should he fall, so he stays close to the rock wall. The basin is surrounded on all sides by enchanted flowers. Kuroko has long since earned their trust, so they allow him to pass through without issue.

He'd stumbled upon them by accident when he was younger, and they nearly killed him. They have red petals, but their veins are a nauseous shade of blue. Each flower barely reaches Kuroko's waist, and the petals are roughly the size of his forearm. They're sentient, to a degree anyways.

After a few months, and one instance of Kuroko preventing the field from being set ablaze, the flowers agreed to protect Kuroko and his outcrop. They do an outstanding job of not letting anyone pass through, and for that he's grateful.

It's not that he dislikes living with Momoi, it's one of his favorite places to be, but his outcrop is quiet. And it's his own.

The petals brush up against his legs as he passes, and he shivers slightly. Despite their warm color, the flowers are unnaturally cold, nearly like ice and it's a wonder that they aren't dead. The only logical assumption then is that it's because they're magical flowers.

In any case, the outcrop has been his place for a number of years now. With the flowers, and a choice few spells, he's by himself and in comfort. It's a strange comfort, an empty one. There aren't any ribbons, not anywhere close, and nothing human. Solitude is different when it's chosen. An Empath forced to be empty is different than an Empath making themselves empty.

That day, in the field too far away from his team, he'd nearly passed out. Drive, bloodlust, joy, victory, it was all flowing through his veins, It was heady and exhilarating, until it wasn't.

Suddenly, they'd all pulled away, blocking him out. All those emotions, powerful and raw and quantitative, were simply gone. Ripped away and Kuroko was forced empty, drained. He had no emotions to draw from, he was isolated. He'd lain on the ground shivering for upwards of an hour before picking himself up and stumbling back to their rendezvous point. Their sync allowed him to work from a greater distance, using his team's eyes to see what he needed. Their ribbons stretched back to him, giving him a strong tether to keep them all together.

It wouldn't have been an issue if he was the one to let them go.

But he lost them that day, he can't feel their ribbons at all now, and he's not even sure if he wants to.

With a sigh, Kuroko closes his and eases back until he's laying down. It's peaceful, no buzzing ribbons to keep him awake. He comes here whenever he needs to sleep, and sleep restfully. With only his breathing and the low hum of the flowers, Kuroko has no problem falling asleep.

Away from all the color, his dreams are pleasant. Memories drift along, past battles and banquet halls flash in his mind. Kise flirts his way into a records room in order to steal the maps for an enemy's kingdom's siege tunnels and storehouses. Murasakibara has to wait awkwardly outside a meeting because he can't fit through the door. Midorima easily outshoots all of his competition, to the point that he's accused of cheating. Akashi waltzes into the gathering of a coup, and he decimates everyone without lifting his sword.

Then there's Aomine.

He and Kuroko are on the training grounds. Kuroko insists that he doesn't need a weapon, Aomine is convinced that he does. They train until Kuroko has had enough. He reaches out for Aomine's ribbons and sends bright streaks of euphoric elation through them. Aomine falls to the ground, unable to stop laughing. He's gasping and on the verge of tears when Kuroko figures that he's got the message. He waves away the pink, letting it drift. Aomine stays on the ground, heaving in air.

"I get it," he gasps, "no more training tonight."

Kuroko's eyes snap open, the memories of vibrant ribbons bleed away. It does him no good to dwell on the past, no matter how nice it feels.

* * *

Kuroko sleeps, he's not exactly sure for how long, his exhaustion catching up with him. His mind is merciful, filling his head with images of the shop, of Momoi, and the infirmary. When night falls, he's awake, staring absently at the stars.

Out of habit, he connects them, eyes drawing imaginary lines between the bright lights. It's a game he used to play with Murasakibara, it started when they were on watch together.

It was a retrieval mission, the six of them were returning, Kuroko always stayed up during all the watch shifts. Murasakibara had been restless, his ribbons twitching and lashing out. Kuroko managed to slip a few strains of calm into his ribbon as the night wore on, and eventually, Murasakibara relaxed enough to take proper watch. They sat in relative quiet, the night black until the stars began to appear.

Murasakibara looked up at the sky that night and told Kuroko that he saw a dragon.

It's easy enough to spot, Murasakibara chose only the brightest stars as his connecting points, so it only takes Kuroko a few heartbeats to find it. Murasakibara's dragon spans half the night sky, wings spread out as it flies.

The dragon looks a little different than it did, they were in a different part of the world then, and from this position, it's a lot closer.

Night watches were always interesting.

Kuroko is the only one who can see ribbons, so even the darkest cover of night is no obstacle against him. One of the others would stay up with him, acting as backup should someone attempt to catch them unaware.

He and Murasakibara always had the midnight shift, Aomine before him, Kise after, Midorima following, and then Akashi in the hours leading to morning.

Following the pointing out of the dragon, he and Murasakibara started a habit of connecting the stars. Aomine would talk, give him pointers about his physical fighting capabilities. Kise would doze, and Kuroko never had the heart to wake him. He and Midorima sat in silence for the most part, but it was never uncomfortable.

Small talk with Akashi was a feat of itself. They usually ended up discussing how the mission went, what they could have done better.

Kuroko sits up, rubbing at his eyes.

Come morning, he'll have to make the trek back to the shop. No doubt the others will be there when he arrives, it will be Momoi's doing of course.

It's not that they act particularly horrible to him, quite the contrary actually. Kise is his usual self, chipper and easy to talk to. Midorima is cordial, Akashi hasn't changed at all, and Murasakibara still takes it upon himself to drape his overly large body over Kuroko from behind whenever they happen to stand together.

Kuroko can't look Aomine in the eye though.

Too many years spent with too many anchors, only for it all to be ripped away. Aomine pretends like nothing has changed, still throws his arm around Kuroko's shoulders, still ruffles his hair. If Kuroko could still get at his ribbons, he'd send a euphoria heady enough to incapacitate the older man for hours on end.

Unfortunately, Kuroko has no access to any of their ribbons.

* * *

He wishes the flowers well as he leaves. There's a low hum in response, and he waves to them one last time before turning his back.

The trek back to town doesn't feel nearly as long as it did going the other way. It must have been all the sleep he got.

He breaks a few hours later, stopping to drink some water and stretch for a few minutes. When he starts walking again, he thinks.

If he allows himself to admit it, he'd do just about anything to bring his knights back to him. But it's not that simple. Empathic connections are not just opening and closing a door. It's an intricate weaving, a tapestry that connected the six of them, not just to Kuroko but to each other. As a unit, they were unstoppable, backed by Momoi, there was no obstacle they couldn't overcome.

Kuroko never thought his team members themselves would become one of those obstacles.

He noticed it early, and didn't want to accept 'd grown confident in their own abilities, and Kuroko wouldn't have been opposed to that under other circumstances. The five of them still leave on missions as a unit, but they don't work together. For the first months following his self imposed removal from the team, Kuroko followed up on their missions.

He didn't like what he read.

This happens every time though, he shouldn't be surprised. They return, come by the shop, stay for hours, and Kuroko pretends to the best of his ability that he doesn't feel himself dying the longer he stays in their presence.

His only hope is that he'll return home before they arrive so he can at least Momoi for a calming draught, something to numb him just a little.

Fate is, apparently, not on his side.

Kuroko freezes at the door to the shop. The sound of ribbons is unmistakeable. Momoi's are buzzing so loud and high that it hurts. There are five more sets with her, ones that he can no longer influence, no longer touch. He can't even feel them properly. He can infer from their color, but it's all muted.

He takes a breath and pushes the door open.

Momoi is perched on the counter, her ribbons are glowing, legitimately shining with the pinkest light Kuroko has ever seen. Kise is beside her, he's not in his knight regalia, rather somewhat toned up training clothes. His dual swords are at his hip, he still has the ridiculous leather scabbard Momoi made him, embroidered around the edges with yellow flowers. Momoi's protection charm hangs around his neck, the orb resting just at the hem of his tunic. He has a new scar, a small line, no longer than a blade of grass, along his right jaw. Judging by the way he's leaning on the counter, he injured his legs somehow. His ribbons are straining, trying to reach for Kuroko but failing.

Murasakibara, the poor man, is sitting on the floor rather than slouching to avoid the charms hanging from the ceiling. His hammers are beside him and he has a number of sweets stacked in his lap, some from the shop up the road, some look to be from the castle. His hair has grown longer, but it's tied back at the nape of his neck. He looks as drowsy as ever, but the purple ribbons about him say otherwise. Like Kise's, they try to reach out.

Standing beside him, with all the regal air of a king, is Akashi. He remains in his formal Baron attire, perfectly dressed without a weapon in sight. It's not like he needs one. His eyes have yet to change from that last day, it's unnerving, the way the golden one seems to bore down into Kuroko's very being. Like Kise, he has a charm around his neck, a simple pendant, spelled with a small crystal in the ribbons float about him, twitching occasionally with the movement of everyone else's.

Midorima stands against the counter beside Kise, glasses resting on the edge of his nose. A series of spelled bracelets line is right hand, while his left hand is ever impeccably taped up. His bow rests in its canvas on the floor, as Momoi has a very strict 'no weapons on the counter' policy. He doesn't appear to be sporting any injuries, if anything he just seems anxious. His ribbons snap about before winding back to his body.

On the stairs, looking as though he'd woken as soon as Kuroko stepped through the door, is Aomine. Scars crisscross his hands, Momoi's charm hanging from his neck, along with a few other trinkets from over the years. He's dressed in a more relaxed fashion than the others, if Kuroko remembers correctly, he's wearing his training fatigues, and his old blacksmith's boots. His ribbons surge as soon as his eyes fall on Kuroko's, but they don't stretch very far past his body, stopping suddenly.

Beneath the muted lock of grey, Kuroko can see streaks of grief, fatigue, anger, and loneliness.

There was a time when Aomine's ribbons shone brighter than the sun.

Aomine stands, and Kuroko nearly takes a step back. All eyes turn towards him, following the example set by their ribbons.

"Tetsu," Aomine breathes, quiet, like he does every time they return, like he was under the impression that Kuroko wouldn't really come.

Kuroko wants to go upstairs, to his room, where it's quiet.

Better yet, he'd rather be at his outcrop, with nothing but his flowers and the stars.

* * *

Again, I am super sorry for my absence with this story, you can yell at me if you want.


	5. Chapter 5

It's still for several heartbeats, no one breathes

Momoi jumps down from the counter to pull him further inside, closing the door behind him.

"Hello," he says, voice hollow as Momoi inconspicuously nudges his side.

"We were under the impression that you wouldn't be back until much later, if at all." Akashi's voice carries even though he hasn't raised his volume.

"What a strange notion to have," Kuroko says, biting his tongue immediately after. Mouthing off to Akashi isn't exactly the smartest thing to do, in fact, Kuroko's self preservation instincts are cursing him at the moment, but he can't make himself care too much at this point. Akashi won't do anything to him, he's certain of that much.

"Indeed."

The others watch quietly, Aomine is still standing, body frozen in an almost unnatural position.

They look at Kuroko as though nothing has changed, as though their actions weren't tantamount to murder.

It's not like they would feel any different, empathic anchors are a one way affair as far as effects go. For all they know, he's just being unreasonably cold.

Akashi's not stupid, he should be able to put the pieces together.

Kuroko is still technically a knight, he'd not been stripped of his title, so his behavior can't be attributed to resentment as far as that is concerned.

Sensing the unease, Momoi claps her hands.

"I've closed the shop for today so we can all spend some time together. We're going to watch the fireworks tonight."

"Lovely idea, thank you, Satsuki," Akashi says.

"I'm going to change my clothes, I'll return in a moment." Kuroko brushes past Aomine without a second thought.

If he had to guess, he'd say that Aomine reached out for him, but it doesn't matter. Not really anyways. Aomine had made his decision, Kuroko still wakes up sometimes feeling as though his body is riddled with holes.

In the privacy of his room, Kuroko changes into a pair of training pants and a shirt. After pulling on his boots once more, he sits on the edge of his bed, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

It's always stressful when they return from missions. It's stressful when they're just around. He hates that it is, he misses how it used to be.

They used to come straight to the shop, to Momoi who was all smiles and open arms. She'd come with them to the castle and wait for them to be ready. They'd sit in the gardens or go to the training grounds. But it was _easy._ It was so easy to be around them, and now it's just _not._

Drawing in a deep breath, Kuroko sits up straight.

There's not much he can do about the situation. Until the lot of them allow him back in, he can't do anything. Even if he did tell them that that's what they had to do, it wouldn't help. Forging those bonds again, it's not going to be done overnight, despite what they want.

Maybe, if just one of them-

Kuroko returns downstairs, unsurprised to find that the shop is empty save for Aomine.

"Everyone else is outside. Satsuki has something set up at the river."

Kuroko nods but doesn't move from the last step, because Aomine isn't moving either.

"Something bothering you?" Kuroko asks, though he knows the answer.

"Why don't you come on missions with us anymore?" Aomine tries to make it a joke. "I have to put up with that damn Kise by myself, and-damn it, Tetsu…"

"I can't go on the missions, I won't be able to help."

"You say that but you never explain."

Kuroko has no response so he takes the last step down the stairs, only mildly surprised when Aomine mirrors a step back.

He plays it off, spinning on his heel so he can walk alongside Kuroko as they make their way outside.

"Come on! You guys are so slow, hurry up!"

Kise runs over, looping his arm through Kuroko's and tugging him along. The contact ignites the flare of his ribbons, but the grey film is back within moments. It sparks an ache at the base of his skull and he bites his lip to keep from making any noise.

For the past couple of weeks, Momoi had slowly excavated an oval shaped portion of land just off the river. She'd used magic, of course, and had diverted part of the river into the pool before putting it back to rights. The pool isn't all that deep so much as it is wide. Kuroko could stand in it and it would come to his waist, but it's wider than Murasakibara is tall.

"Put your weapons in it," Momoi says, fists propped on her hips, a brilliant grin on her face.

"Satsuki," Aomine starts, "what the hell are you talking about, we can't just-"

With a splash, Murasakibara drops his war hammers in. Kuroko hides a small smile as their resident giant sits down at the edge of the pool, staring intently at his submerged hammers.

"What now?" he asks Momoi.

Kise follows suit, shrugging as he removes his swords from their scabbards. He lays them in the water and stands beside Murasakibara.

"It's water, Satsuki, magical water" Aomine tries. He looks to Midorima for backup.

"I cannot put my weapon in the water," he says, "it will cause irreparable damage-"

"Have I ever been wrong?"

"It's made of wood," Midorima says helplessly.

One look from Akashi has both Aomine and Midorima dropping their weapons in the pool. Kuroko sees Midorima's ribbons twitch nervously as his bow hits the water. He gives an undignified squawk when Momoi snatches his quiver and throws that in as well. Aomine mumbles something about these being his favorite weapons, and Kuroko has to hide his smile with a cough. No doubt they're thinking back to Momoi's first disastrous attempt at enchanted weapons. Suffice it to say, the lot of them ended up having to recommission new weapons.

Momoi turns to Akashi next.

He doesn't have his broadsword with him, but he does produce an array of daggers from around his person and he hands them over to Momoi.

Once everyone's weapons are in the pool, Kuroko gets up and moves to stand beside Momoi.

She begins her spell, the water starting to swirl and glow slightly. Kuroko's own eyes begin to glow as he amplifies Momoi's powers.

It's not a showy affair, the pool glows in a mix of bright pink and blue before settling into a soft lavender color. Momoi hovers the weapons out of the pool and presents them to their rightful owners.

Each of the weapons holds a barely there sheen of magic.

"It's a welcome back present," she said. "They'll give you extra defense when you're fighting, and I made sure to give them a few other properties as well, if you want to try them out. It took a while to perfect the spell, but you have nothing to worry about."

Aomine picks her up and swings her around.

Kuroko and Momoi sit down as the other five take to one on one sparring matches to test out their newly magicked weapons. Kise and Aomine go first, literal sparks flying when their blades clash.

"What do you think?" Momoi asks him.

"It's impressive, very much so."

Her ribbons glow bright and remain as such when she turns to watch Aomine and Kise.

After an hour or so, they all settle down to tell Momoi and Kuroko about their mission this go around.

Their ribbons are so close and it presents a feeling that Kuroko has never been able to get used to. He knows the ribbons are there, can see them and intuit from their muted colors what emotions are displayed. But he can't _feel_ them. They exist in some sort of voided space that is neither present nor absent. They produce an empty space and it's disorienting. Kise and Aomine's ribbons are absolutely encased in gray, keeping them from Kuroko. Akashi, Murasakibara, and Midorima's are darker in color but muted as if put through gray scale. Regardless, they're off limits to him.

Most days, Momoi's ribbons are enough but when he's surrounded by his former teammates, the expectation is that he'd be able to interact with their ribbons. Empaths aren't supposed to be empty. There's a disconnect, the ribbons are right there, but he's only receiving input from one person, as opposed to six.

Kuroko tucks his knees to his chest and tries to push down the nausea bubbling up in his stomach. He keeps close to Momoi, drawing on her joy and wrapping one of his hands in her ribbons. They keep him steady and present and that's all he can ask for.

Kise's in the middle of telling them how Murasakibara let their horses wander off when they're interrupted.

"Kuroko!"

It's Takao, his ribbons ring at a pitch Kuroko's never heard before. He stands up, dusts off, and makes his way closer to the road without another word, promptly ignoring his former teammates as they voice their complaints.

Momoi just gives him a look he can sense rather than see.

Takao is out of breath, his face flushed and hair in disarray in such a way that Kuroko has only seen once before.

"The knight, he woke up!"

"Kagami?"

"I don't know, the red haired guy."

Kuroko had expected him to wake in a couple of weeks, but a couple of days?

They hurry to the castle and Kuroko lets his own feelings bleed away so he can assess the situation he'll be faced with when they arrive.

"Was Himuro notified?"

"Who?"

"A knight, I gave him one of my tokens."

"I know someone showed up with a token, might be your guy."

"What about the others?" There had been more knights, and though Kuroko had been working primarily with Kagami, maybe something has happened to them too?

"Oh, they were moved while you were gone. They were allowed to be taken home to their families. "

Kuroko nods and remains silent until they come up to the infirmary.

He pushes open the door, pausing to take stock of the scene.

Himuro has a wet rag against his forehead while Riko and Kagetora are crowded over the cot holding Kagami. Kiyoshi is present as well though he's sitting beside Himuro, watching the scene in a hybrid concern and amusement. Riko has a book open and she's flipping through it, asking Kagami the occasional question. Kagetora checks his limbs, bending and unbending his arms and legs, a crystal around his neck glowing in time with Kagami's breathing.

Kuroko gets about one step into the infirmary when Kagami's ribbons hit him full force.

They are absolutely massive, stretching all around him and moving as if bound by some unseen barrier. They're red with undercurrents of silver and gold, and they're _shining_. As soon as Kuroko takes in the ribbons, one of them flicks toward him, wrapping around his arm.

Quickly, Kuroko shakes his other hand so that Riko and Kagetora hear the bells. They turn towards him and motions for him to come closer.

"How does he look?" Riko asks.

He doesn't have an answer.

The only ribbons he interacts with on the daily are Momoi's and their connection is strong due to the years they've spent together. But Kagami's ribbons are extremely receptive, already trying to connect with Kuroko. And they seem to be doing it to everyone's, with varying degrees of success. Kagetora's a bit of a hard case for anyone but there's a bit of bleeding between the red of Kagami's ribbons and the light green and pink of Riko's. One of his ribbons has seamlessly connected to one of Himuro's the grey and red fading together without issue. They're even dancing with Kiyoshi's ribbons

How does he look?

His ribbons are the most vibrant he's seen in a long, long while. It takes Kuroko a moment to realize what's so achingly familiar about these ribbons. Kise's ribbons had been the same way, he had a high compatibility with empaths, making his connection with Kuroko effortless at the time.

"They're fine, perfect actually," Kuroko says.

"Good, we were worried that his mental state would have suffered. He's already physically weak, so we'll have to work on that." Riko goes back to her book. "If you can spare your time, we'd like you here to help with that, to monitor his emotional state through this. Once we're done here though, think you can take a look in his head?"

"Of course."

It's a win-lose situation for him. On the one hand, he'll be occupied, busy, he won't have time for his former team and if they oppose that then they run the risk angering their greatest doctors. However, assisting will place him at the castle and then they can see him whenever the hell they want.

Great.

He takes a seat beside Kiyoshi and Himuro so Riko and Kagetora can continue with their check up.

"What happened?" he asks, gesturing to the rag on Himuro's head.

"Oh, he got in Riko's way," Kiyoshi answers, "I think he knows better now."

Kagami's ribbon is still wrapped around Kuroko's arm, apparently realizing that he's an Empath. Ribbons are sentient to a degree, they represent pure emotion and act accordingly, but they can't interact with anything physical. The only thing they can interact with are Empaths. Kuroko can hold a ribbon, can pull it and twist it but whoever the ribbon belongs to wouldn't know, wouldn't feel anything unless Kuroko decided to introduce a different emotion to the ribbon. They pass through objects and people and generally stay close to the body.

Riko and Kagetora finish up their check a little less than an hour later and gesture for Kuroko to approach.

"Kagami, this is Kuroko, he's an Empath. He's going to check you over to make sure that nothing in your head has been damaged," Kagetora says.

"Nice to meet you," Kagami says.

Kuroko just nods, he places his hand on Kagami's and closes his eyes.

It's different going into someone's mind when they're awake, it's much easier when they're unconscious.

For a moment, the room flares in colors, emotions swell and the space around him fills with a shocking energy. It hovers on the boundary of pain, but he's distracted from it as each color grows more and more vibrant. Then Kuroko is looking at the multicolor mess inside Kagami's head. He's learned to recognize certain negative aspects over time, but Kagami seems perfectly healthy. There's no gaping spaces of lost memory, and everything that Kuroko can see is in working order.

Kagami is physically weak, as Riko said, that much is evident but Kuroko feels that he'll make a quick recovery. Add a bit of Momoi's magic, and Kuroko's support, he'll be just fine.

"Everything's okay," Kuroko says, opening his eyes. He figures they're still glowing a little given Kagami's dumbfounded expression. The intensity of Kagami's ribbons fades when he moves his hand.

"You're sure?" Riko asks.

"Yes."

"All right then."

Riko motions for Himuro, letting him know that he can approach Kagami now that she's not working with him.

"I'll let Himuro catch you up, we'll get to working tomorrow," she says.

They give the two brothers some space, Kiyoshi and Kuroko electing to sit just outside the infirmary.

"I heard they got back today," Kiyoshi says. "Me and Riko were on the training grounds but the whole castle seemed to get much busier."

"Yes, they're at the shop now, with Momoi."

"How'd it go?"

"She enchanted their weapons."

Kiyoshi laughs at that, his ribbons humming for a few moments.

"Well, that should prove entertaining, I believe."

"Something like that."

Kiyoshi pushes onto his feet and Kuroko can see the pain flash through his ribbons.

"I know that face," Kiyoshi says.

"What face?"

"I'm taking care of my knees, cross my heart, they're just stiff today."

He's not lying, so Kuroko just nods.

"They're probably waiting for you. You heard Riko, we won't start on Kagami until tomorrow."

With that, Kiyoshi leaves, heading for the training grounds.

Part of him wants Riko to have something for him to do, there has to be something, right? He doesn't want to go back yet. That probably makes him a coward, but at the moment, he can't care less.

Eventually, he forces himself to get up and make the walk back to the shop. It's not dark yet, they still have a few hours before the fireworks are to start. Kuroko finds it the slightest bit odd. They're supposed to be at the castle, as the fireworks are for the knights and Baron, but they'll be at the river with Momoi and Kuroko.

Strange.

And they're still at the river when Kuroko arrives.

Aomine and Kise are in the water while Akashi and Midorima sit with their legs in the water. Murasakibara sits behind Momoi, braiding her hair while she argues lightly back and forth with Aomine.

"Tetsuya," Akashi doesn't turn to face him, he doesn't need to. "What was so important that it pulled you away?"

"One of the comatose knights woke, I had to check in on his mental and emotional state."

Kuroko takes his seat beside Momoi and Murasakibara. He keeps away from the edge of the bank, knowing that if he gets too close then Aomine will attempt to drag him into the water.

"How did it go?" Momoi asks.

"Fine, he's healthy, just physically weak. Riko wants me to monitor him as she works to get him back to normal. He's with his brother now."

"I imagine they'll be needing my help too, won't they?"

"It would be appreciated."

Momoi laughs a little and Kuroko begins toying with the closest ribbon.

He stiffens suddenly when one of Murasakibara's ribbons gets too close. Something like a shock rips through his body. Immediately, he lets go of Momoi's ribbon before the shock can color away the pink. It _hurts._

That's not supposed to happen.

He grabs at Momoi's hand and squeezes, hoping that she gets the message.

"Just a moment, we'll be back," she says. Murasakibara ties off the end of the braid then she's up and walking with Kuroko back to the shop.

By the time they make it inside, Kuroko's breathing is erratic and the nausea returns full force. He's shaking and he's pretty sure he's manifesting his own colors. He's careful not to touch Momoi, or her ribbons, as he follows her to the kitchen.

He doesn't pay attention to what she uses, too focused on trying not to broadcast.

Momoi sets a cup down in front of him and he doesn't hesitate to drink its content in a single gulp.

A wave of warmth washes over him and he heaves a sigh of relief.

"Tetsuya, what was that?" She leans close enough to pull him into a half hug, resting her chin on his head.

"I don't know. Murasakibara's ribbon- it didn't touch me but it was close and it shocked me. Ribbons can't do that, they've never done that."

They haven't. If it was contact based then Kuroko would have been shocked a hundred times over for how often Kise initiates contact. It's not proximity based either because he's been close to their ribbons before, again with Kise has no sense of personal space.

He doesn't understand.

"Do you want to stay in here for a little bit? I'm sure I can make something up, or at the very least I can give them a mean look so they won't ask questions."

Kuroko doesn't hold back the small laugh that bubbles up, just eases back from Momoi's hug.

"No, thank you though, I think I'll be fine now. We better get back there, make sure those two idiots haven't drowned."

Momoi does end up giving the team a 'mean' look, and though it doesn't fit what she's trying to convey, it works well enough.

He's a little anxious to be sitting close to Murasakibara, but it doesn't happen again.

Soon enough, the sun goes down.

* * *

I'm gonna do my best to get this story back on a regular update schedule.

Introducing some new elements, gotta finish the rest of the story outline because I'm an idiot who decided to do away with what I had and change everything. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter


	6. Chapter 6

Happy Halloween to those who are celebrating and a happy Tuesday to those who are not

* * *

They're in a secluded section of the training grounds, cordoned off by ropes of magic to afford them some privacy. They can still hear the cacophony of sound from the rest of the training ground. They can even see the archery field.

Kagami's muscle mass is still abysmal, but he can stand with help from Momoi's magic. It was easier to accelerate strength in his arms so they'd focused on that before moving onto his legs. Kagetora had built a structure for Kagami to work with. Two parallel beams of wood with enough space for Kagami to walk between them, propped up with stone blocks so they leveled at Kagami's waist. With Momoi's magic supporting a portion of his weight, he walks back and forth between the boards, holding onto them to keep himself steady. They work in increments, slowly, slowly increasing how much weight Kagami is working with.

Kuroko's job is to watch, fixate on his ribbons and gauge his levels of fatigue. How long until Kagami has to rest? What's his break point? Is he in pain and not saying anything? It's nothing new, this job is one he's done for a while now.

"Rest," he calls when too much grey begins to seem into Kagami's ribbons.

Himuro helps him sit down and Momoi disperses her magic.

"You're making progress," Riko says, writing something down in a journal. "One you can carry yourself, we can get you into a more substantial training regimen. You've been working on your motor function, right?"

Kuroko eases the rest process, grabbing onto one of Kagami's ribbons and introducing a few strains of pink to combat the fatigue. A few strains of gold to handle the small roses of pain that have started to bloom, and he's right as rain.

On threat of physical harm via Riko, they're uninterrupted as they continue to work.

As apprehensive as Kuroko had been at the start, he's started to enjoy these sessions. He has Momoi's ribbons, and Riko's too, add to that Kagami and Himuro's ribbons, and Kuroko feels absolutely fine. The energy is high, and everyone's in a good mood, optimistic. It's doing wonders for him.

None of the others have come around during these sessions. Kuroko doesn't think any of them will fess up to being afraid of Riko, but she has no qualms about yelling at them, Akashi being the Baron doesn't seem to matter to her. Besides, she's too good of an asset to get rid of. If they did, there would be public outcry. More realistically, they simply don't have a reason to come by. In all seriousness, these sessions aren't for frivolous reasons, and by all accounts, Kuroko and Momoi are doing legitimate work.

So, maybe he'd been wrongfully apprehensive when Riko brought up the topic.

When they finish for the day, Riko thanks Kuroko and Momoi before helping Himuro get Kagami back inside. Kagami's ribbons immediately wind around the two of them, again merging seamlessly with Himuro's while there's a bit of color bleeding with Riko's. They walk him back to the interior of the castle, toward the infirmary where he's been staying. Once he's more or less stable, he'll return to his own home, where Himuro's been staying since Kagami woke up.

Momoi leans against Kuroko, looping her arm through his. Her ribbons have been brighter lately, not necessarily changing in shade, but they've been maintaining a healthy soft glow over the past weeks. One of them wraps around Kuroko's arm, another draping over his shoulders.

"You've been doing better lately," she says.

"I suppose so, yes."

She laughs and they begin walking home. Given that they've had to close the shop for these sessions, their traffic has swelled when they are open. So they'll have to do some cleaning and restocking, their day is nowhere near done.

"He's moving on a lot faster than I thought he would," she says. "You think he was a good knight before?"

"He must have been. He was the only rookie in that group."

"Hmm, I have a feeling he'll do great things. How are his ribbons?"

"They're fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine."

Momoi doesn't push it but he gets the feeling that she knows exactly how Kagami's ribbons are.

When they arrive home, Momoi settles herself in the backroom, tugging on her apron and getting to work. Kuroko sets to tidying up the shop, taking down notes of what needs to be restocked. He relays the information to Momoi before joining her in the backroom. It's mostly used as a workshop, but it doubles as Momoi's second study. All of her books line the low shelves and a spelled cabinet holds any number of magical ingredients.

Kuroko's magic isn't suited to potion making, but he can act as a second pair of hands for Momoi. He can also amplify her magic and focus it. She's forearm deep in a sticky purple liquid and he's refilling an inkwell when the bell above the front door rings.

"Tetsu?"

"I've got it."

He doesn't have to move to know who it is, the ribbons speak for themselves. Nevertheless, he steps out of the backroom and winds his ways between the shelves toward the front door.

"Himuro, was there an issue with Kagami?" he asks, wiping ink from his fingers.

"Oh, uh, no. I wanted to talk to you but you were gone by the time we got Taiga settled."

"Okay."

"I just wanted to thank you for- well, for everything really."

"There's no need to thank me. It's really Momoi and Riko who are doing the work, I-"

"No, not for that. I mean, yes, also for that, but I meant before. That you even thought to try and wake him up and that you didn't give up on him- thank you."

His ribbons glow, sheens of blue and pink rippling through the grey.

"Of course," Kuroko says simply.

Himuro only nods before turning right around and leaving.

Kuroko returns to Momoi and she gives him a questioning look.

"Himuro?"

"Yes, he wanted to thank me for waking Kagami up."

Momoi smiles before returning to her concoction. Her eyes begin to glow and Kuroko amps up the power as the once sticky purple turns light blue and oily.

They work until sundown, bottling and inking labels before locking up the shop. They eat a quick meal before going to bed, both of them more tired than usual.

* * *

Momoi's finishing up her last set of clients for the day, and there's only one other customer, debating between charms. It's quiet.

The front door swings open and the bell nearly breaks.

Kuroko drops his head onto the counter.

"Kurokocchi!"

"Kise."

Kuroko props himself back up before Kise gets to the counter, closing his book and setting it off to the side. Momoi had made him a calming draught earlier, he imagines that he should be fine, it will keep the nausea at bay anyway.

Kise's in his training fatigues, his swords at his hip and a wide smile on his face. His ribbons are streaked in pink, no other colors to contradict it. None that Kuroko can see anyhow, the film of grey is thick. He truly is in a good mood, bubbly as he's ever been.

It's a little frustrating though. The ribbons know what they want, they keep trying to move closer, straining to wrap around Kuroko. But they can't. Ribbons are more intelligent than their owners in a way. The ribbons know _exactly_ what the person wants, they betray the truth in a spoken lie. And Kuroko can _see_ that, can see how they're acting. All of their ribbons act the same way, they all reach for him, but the people they're attached to have placed a subconscious lock on the ribbons.

"What brings you here?" Kuroko asks.

"I can't come just to say hello?"

Kuroko's eyes are fixed on his ribbons, reading the lie as it slips from his mouth. Well, it's not a lie exactly, it's an evasion, it reads almost the same way. Kise's used to Kuroko looking at someone's ribbons rather than the person themself. He knows _exactly_ what Kuroko's doing right now.

"Okay, fine, Akashicchi sent me."

"I'm not sitting in on training."

"Oh, no, he just wanted me to check on you. I was planning on coming over anyway."

Kuroko arches a brow, but he doesn't see anything in Kise's tinted ribbons. Nothing that would give away a lie anyway. But, barely visible beneath the film of grey, there are numerous roses of pain blooming all along a good number of Kise's ribbons.

His reaction is automatic, his brain turning off for a moment or two as his body moves.

He grabs Kise's wrist and pulls him around the counter, the colors flash for a half second but the grey still holds, forcing Kise to sit down on a stool. It's not until he's mixing up something to help with the pain that he realizes what he's doing. With a shaky breath, he finishes up, handing Kise the cup.

There's only a moment of hesitance before Kise downs the concoction.

Kuroko can't feel how bad the pain is, he's going off what he can barely see and hoping that he was accurate.

"What happened?" he finds himself asking, leaning against the counter and folding his arms across his chest.

"Uh, I pushed myself too far." Kise rubs at the back of his neck, suddenly very uncomfortable if the way his ribbons are snapping is any indication. "Just hurt my leg is all, I figure it should be okay soon, before we have to leave again anyway. And if it's not then I'll just deal with it."

If it's anything like Kiyoshi's injury, there's a high chance that Kise won't be able to fight at all. He won't be stripped of his title, not officially, but if he's not careful, the damage could be irreparable. Kuroko knows for a fact that if Kise's legs _do_ get worse, then Akashi won't let him go on missions, not to be cruel but to avoid the injury from growing worse. Doing so would absolutely _crush_ Kise.

"That's dangerous, have you told Momoi?"

"No, please don't tell her though, I don't want her to worry."

Kuroko sighs. Momoi's not stupid, and he has to wonder if Kise's forgotten about the rings she wears. When they'd returned, her yellow ring bore a scratch, blatant evidence that Kise had been injured in some way. It's possible that she could have chalked it up to the new scar he'd gotten on his jaw. But if his legs give out on him when he's around her, she'll put two and two together in a heartbeat.

"Just, take care of it, if you don't it will be worse in the long run."

"Thanks, Kurokocchi! I knew I could count on you!"

He's back to bubbly again and Kuroko can't see any nuanced colors beneath the grey.

Kise hops up onto the counter, about to speak but he's cut short when the customer approaches, having finally settled on a few single use charms.

Kuroko handles the exchange and sits down on the stool Kise had just been in when the customer leaves.

"So, how have you been, Kurokocchi?"

It's easier like this, just one of them, Kise especially. Blocked off though he may be, he's still highly receptive to Empaths, so the nausea isn't as bad. If they keep coming around, Kuroko's just going to have to keep a flask of calming draught on him at all times.

Maybe that's the answer, just be magically intoxicated at all times.

He smirks at the thought before answering Kise's question.

"I've been fine."

"How's training with that new knight going?"

"Fine."

There's something akin to jealousy in Kise's tone, even if Kuroko wasn't an Empath, he would have picked up on it. Aomine's asked why he doesn't go with them on missions, Kise hasn't yet. He wants to though, Kuroko can tell. Today might be the day. But it's laughable, Kise thinking that Kuroko would jump at the chance to sync up with another person.

After last time? He's not so keen on even _thinking_ about it.

"Ki-chan!"

Momoi is showing her latest clients out, walking them to the door before catching sight of Kise. Once the couple is gone, she hurries back to the counter.

"I didn't know you'd be coming today, did you bring anyone else?"

"Nope, just me."

"Oh, well, I was going to close up early today. I have a few things I need to pick up, want to come?"

"Sure! Kurokocchi?"

"I'm going to stay. The last time I came along, I ended up spooking half of your suppliers."

Surprisingly, Momoi doesn't try to fight him on it, she just rounds the corner to give him a hug before heading for the door. Kise ruffles his hair, there's not enough space to move back, then follows Momoi.

The bell above the door rings as they go and Kuroko stays at the counter for a moment.

It could have been nice.

It could have gone better.

If they'd just told him they didn't want his help, they could have avoided all of this.

Maybe he's grown bitter in this severed off state. His days as a knight were surrounded by the most wonderful of ribbons, bad days were few and far between, and they were always resolved quickly. His current state of perpetual exhaustion could be due the difference in input. He was so used to the emotional energy he received in excess, and now, it seems like a deficit.

WIth a sigh, Kuroko moves from behind the counter, wandering about the shop to straighten things up. There's not much to do, a few bottles are out of order but he and Momoi had done a deep clean the day previous.

He makes his way out to the river, sitting down on the bank. The shop is within his range so he's not worried about it. His reach stretches to the edge of town and into the forest, no one will get anywhere near the shop without him knowing.

Laying back in the grass, Kuroko closes his eyes.

Empaths are shrouded in abstract, Kuroko found that out early on. He thought it bizarre that no one understood him when he told them about the ribbons. He tried explaining, telling them how the colors bled together, telling them how the roses bloomed and the colors changed and the ribbons reacted. It's all conceptual, and given that he's the only one who can see the ribbons, he's not surprised that no one understand what he's talking about.

When Akashi introduced him to the team and told them he was an Empath, they wanted to know more. He'd tried his best but they couldn't grasp it.

He's never known another Empath, he had to teach himself everything. He spent a good portion of his childhood bothering the old sages and record keepers for any information they might have on Empaths.

Everything about him is abstract, and he _hates_ it.

Kuroko doesn't sense the ribbons so much as he senses the voided space they produce.

He sits up and focuses on the voided space, grateful that the calming draught is keeping the nausea at bay. The most powerful voided spaces belong to Kise and Aomine, and the former is with Momoi. It's not any of the others, their voided space has a different feel to it.

Damn it.

Kuroko stays where he is, Aomine will know where to find him.

Maybe Momoi's right. Maybe he should try and interact. If he can just get it through their skulls then _maybe_ the voided spaces would go away. At this point, he doesn't care if he can't sync with them anymore, he just wants the locks _gone._

"Tetsu."

"Aomine."

Aomine looks uncharacteristically tired and Kuroko can't make out any of the blue beneath the grey. There are light shadows beneath his eyes and the way he moves is unusually slow and measured, nothing fluid about them at all.

He sits down beside Kuroko, leaving an arm's length between them, and he leans back on his hands.

"I passed Satsuki and Kise on the road, they told me you stayed at the shop."

"She's on a supply pick up," Kuroko says with a shrug.

Aomine just nods, easing onto his elbows and then to his back, folding his hands behind his head.

Kuroko doesn't bother asking if there's a reason that Aomine has sought him out, the conversation wouldn't go anywhere. The smart move is to wait until he talks on his own.

"What are they like?"Aomine asks at last. By this time, several clouds have covered the sky, halfway hiding the sun.

"What are what like?"

"The ribbons. You've never explained them."

There was never a reason to, never an occasion. Akashi brought him in one day and told the other four that he'd be part of the team. 'This is Kuroko Tetsuya,' he'd said, 'Kuroko is an Empath and we will be utilizing his abilities.' That had been the introduction. From there, he'd mentioned the ribbons once, but that was all. From that point on he hadn't bothered elaborating, mainly because when Kise joined, he got the wrong idea in his head and had spent a week trying to interact with his ribbons. Those efforts ended disastrously and the idiot had to be on rest for three days. It was just easier not to bring them up and reassure everyone that his abilities would let him know how they were feeling and allow him to interact with their emotions.

That was it.

"They're different for everyone," Kuroko says simply.

"How?"

"Color, shape, size, everyone's ribbons are unique. Why the sudden interest?"

"Satsuki mentioned them when she was by the Castle a few days ago."

"What did she say exactly?"

"Nothing important really."

Kuroko sighs, shoulders hunching forward a short ways. Momoi probably brought up the ribbons to tip Aomine off to the root of the problem. Kuroko's not really mad, but it does no good for them to be given the answer, it won't help with the gray. It's something they have to realize for themselves, otherwise it's going to be that much harder.

* * *

I hope you guys liked this chapter, I had to finish it before my brain was cool with me doing my essays. Let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

My apologies for the wait. This was supposed to be finished sooner but I have finals coming up so I've been kinda stress-central. But it's here now! And it's a bit of a longer chapter, so there's that!

* * *

It's the pain that wakes him up. He doesn't process it at first, still dragging his consciousness back to him.

When it hits him, it tears a groan from somewhere deep in his chest.

Something is hammering away within his head, intent on splitting his skull.

Everything is too bright, and every noise is amplified. He tries to hide his head beneath his pillow, but moving even a little proves to be too much.

Kuroko resigns himself to his fate and moves himself in increments until he can at least lay on his side. Momoi is only just getting up, her ribbons hum softly and, for once, they don't seem to be the source of his migraine. It's possible he's having legitimate, physical head pain, non Empath related ailments always seem to catch him off guard, and he hates every minute of them.

Momoi knocks on his door eventually, concern breaking up the pink of her ribbons.

"Tetsu?"

He thinks she gets the message when her ribbons immediately stop humming.

"I'll make you something for the pain, and I'll spell the shop so the noise will be muffled, okay?"

He tries his best to nod, hopefully Momoi sees it.

When she leaves, Kuroko takes as deep a breath as he can manage before he starts to make himself sit up. After a few minutes of trying, he can only get himself slumped against the wall, about to fall to either side.

Momoi returns soon enough with a mug of coffee. Well, it smells like coffee but the whatever she'd mixed into has turned the liquid a pale blue.

"I upped the dose a little, but it will help more if you can sleep after you drink it," she says, sitting down on his bed and handing him the mug. "You don't have to come down if you're still feeling pain when you wake up. Just try and rest."

It doesn't taste like coffee, and it's thicker, he's not sure what it tastes like. Whatever it is though, it works, and it works quickly. A warmth spreads through his body and the though the pain still remains in his head, it's been taken down a few pegs.

"Sleep, I'll have another batch for you if it doesn't go away."

She helps him lay down and settles his blanket over him. Before she leaves, she smooths his hair down a little, and one of her ribbons loops around his wrist. She leaves, closing the door quietly. A slow ripple of magic travels through air but Kuroko's asleep before he knows how effective the spell is.

Lady Luck shows him mercy this once, and his sleep is blessedly void of dreams.

When he wakes for the second time that morning, the pain has faded to a dull throb at the base of his skull. He keeps his movements slow and sure as he gets dressed. One of Momoi's ribbons is still wrapped around his wrist and it only grips tighter when he tries to unwind it.

With a quiet chuckle, Kuroko pulls on his boots and makes his way downstairs. There are customers in the shop, about a dozen, but Momoi is handling everything well. It's not often that she's at the counter but she's smiling brightly, and her ribbons haven't changed at all. He moves behind the counter to join her, grabbing his bells from the shelf beneath the counter.

"Does your head feel better?" she asks.

"Much better, thank you. I can take the counter," he says, tying on the bells.

"You sure?"

"Very much so, go mingle with the customers."

Momoi kisses his head, a there's a faint spark where her lips touch his skin, and her ribbon finally leaves his wrist. She flits from customer to customer, helping them find what they need and writing notes to herself on items of interest. She doesn't have any clients today and she's always loved interacting with her customers face to face.

Kuroko mans the counter without issue. The atmosphere in the shop is light and the vast majority of the ribbons are on the positive side of the color spectrum.

It gets fairly busy by noon and, though it doesn't come back full force, Kuroko's migraine returns.

Momoi disappears for a few seconds to the kitchen and returns with a mug of the not-coffee from earlier. She's back in the middle of the shop in an instant, but Kuroko smiles anyway, taking a sip of the drink.

There's a lull in customers after a few hours so Momoi joins him behind the counter.

"Akashi wanted us to join everyone at the castle for dinner tomorrow night," she says, resting her elbow on the counter and propping her head on her fist, "and to spend the night then. Kise found some kind of spring on their trip back and he wanted to show us. He wants to make a camping trip out of it."

Kuroko pulls the stool close to the counter and drops himself down to st, already worrying his hands together.

"I'm not going to make you go though, you know that, right?"

It's going to be a lot of contact time. Dinner will entail all seven of them sitting together, ribbons snapping angrily as they attempt to reach Kuroko. Staying the night will be somewhat easier, none of their rooms are close enough to present an issue. Kuroko still has a room at the castle, he stayed there before he moved in with Momoi. He'd intentionally chosen a room far removed from the others, less ribbons meant less headaches. So he might have a reprieve there. But camping presents another issue entirely. Ribbons act differently when the person they're attached to is awake or asleep. The proximity itself will be an issue, the five of them all within reach, the ribbons straining. After what happened with Murasakibara's ribbons, he's not sure he wants to be that close.

Damn.

Kuroko rubs his face and sighs. He drops his head, closing his eyes as his mind starts to race.

"I'll think about it, I can give you an answer before the sun sets."

One of Momoi's hands closes around his and he looks up.

"Thank you," she says.

She returns to the center of the store as a new wave of customers rolls in.

Kuroko lets himself drift, his body acting on its own, going through the motions he's performed for the past year.

It's near the shop's closing time that Kuroko perks up. The ribbons coming down the road belong to Himuro and Kagami, Riko and Kiyoshi are with them as well. They're probably in a cart, seeing as Kagami still can't walk all that well yet. They're getting there though. During their last session he managed to take a few steps on his own before his legs buckled.

Kuroko's not sure why they've come out to the shop. There aren't any deliveries to pick up, and they don't have a session scheduled today. Even if they did, it wouldn't happen at the shop.

It's Kiyoshi who steps into the shop though, Momoi greets him with a smile.

"What can we do for you?"

"Ah, well, I'm afraid we're in need of a favor."

Kuroko finishes the last customer's purchase and just a few moments later, it's just the three of them in the shop.

"Okay, what is it?" Momoi and Kiyoshi walk to the counter before Kuroko can get up to join them.

"There's some high intensity drills on the practice grounds today. We were trying some basic drills with Kagami but he wasn't able to focus. Riko wanted to bring him here so Kuroko could keep an eye on his ribbons while he and Himuro practice, if that's okay."

"Tetsu?" Momoi turns to him, her eyes lingering on the empty mug before meeting his gaze.

"I don't have an issue with that," he says.

Kuroko helps Momoi clean up before heading out to the river where Riko's apparently set Kagami at. Momoi comes too, magic swirling to life in her ribbons in preparation for whatever she's asked to do.

"Hey, Kuroko! Momoi!" Kagami calls, waving from where he sits in the grass. Himuro sits beside him, training fatigues nearly drenched with sweat.

Kuroko has to wonder why Akashi's allowed Himuro to stay and train with the other knights. Himuro is from another kingdom, he wears another crest, yet no one's questioned him. Come to think of it, how had Himuro even gotten into the infirmary? Kuroko supposes it's none of his business, but he would very much like to know.

He looks over Kagami's ribbons, one of which is already floating over, not at all surprised to see them littered with roses and streaks of fatigue. It doesn't quite matter what Kagami says, or how he acts, ribbons don't lie. He's been overworking himself, likely when Himuro and Riko aren't around. This is part of the reason Kuroko is supposed to be around when they do the sessions.

Kagami does look a little guilty though once he sees Kuroko's pinpoint focus on the air around him. Momoi takes notice of it too and sighs.

"I'll take his weight," she says to Kuroko. They don't say anything to Riko, more for Kagami's sake than anything.

Speaking of Riko, she's setting up the walking beams, apparently having brought them along. She doesn't seem to be in the best of moods and Kuroko considers himself lucky for not verbally making Kagami's ribbon situation known.

Kuroko makes himself comfortable on the ground as one of Kagami's ribbons loops around his wrist. Kiyoshi sits down beside him as Himuro and Riko get started with the practice, Momoi's a little closer, hands glowing as she casts.

"Your ribbons look better," Kuroko says. There aren't so many roses dotting Kiyoshi's ribbons, and the grey streaks have faded somewhat. Kuroko figures, by this point, those streaks are permanently stained into the ribbons.

"I've been trying to take it easy," Kiyoshi says, "and Riko's started making me take care of paperwork, so I'm off my feet more than I was before."

"Good."

They don't say much else for the rest of the session because Kuroko puts his focus to Kagami's ribbons, calling for rests more than he usually does in. All the same, Kagami is progressing quickly, his upper body strength has improved and his lower body is on its way there. He'll be back to training with the others in no time at all.

The ribbon around his wrist tightens a little and he calls for a long rest.

It's strange, feeling another set of ribbons beside Momoi's. Initially, he'd thought Kagami was like Kise, born with a natural compatibility with Empaths. He's revised that thought now. Kagami is, simply put, very emotional. He's an open book, his ribbons reflect that tenfold. Of course, this does make it easier to mesh with an Empath, but it's simply because his ribbons are so accessible.

Still, they're different from standard ribbons.

They work for an hour more before Kuroko finds that Kagami is at his limit. He unwinds Kagami's ribbon from his wrist and stands up.

Kiyoshi and Himuro get Kagami back to the cart while Riko talks with Momoi about her next order.

Kuroko watches them go from the front of the shop, and he stays there until their ribbons pass beyond his reach. Already their absence causes a short flux before Momoi's ribbons even everything out.

He goes back inside to give Momoi his answer.

* * *

The castle dictates a sense of formal dress, though this is counterbalanced by the fact that the meal will be closed doors, just the seven of them. Kuroko slips into one of his nicer tunics, ignoring the emblem over the left breast. When he's dressed and Momoi's deemed his hair appropriate, they set out for the castle. Momoi's done away with her apron, instead wearing a simple dress in soft shades of blue and pink. Momoi had stumbled upon a charmed knapsack some time back, far before Kuroko had met her. It's spelled with an extended space inside allowing the knapsack to hold ten times what its size would dictate. It's useful for ventures like this, so both of they'd packed up their things and placed them inside the knapsack for the sake of ease.

"Thank you," she says, wrapping one of her arms around his shoulders, "for coming with me."

He'd taken a calming draught before they left, and there's a flask at his hip.

"Of course."

"Can I ask why? Usually you're much less agreeable."

She says it with a smile, and her ribbons are just as pink as ever, so Kuroko offers a smile in return.

He's spent most of his free time weighing the outcomes. Drawing their attention to their ribbons won't help, it will only make things worse because it gives them a physical target where there isn't one. But if he can approach this from the ground up, there's a chance he can at least weaken the locks and voided space enough to do away with the nausea.

If he fails, well, no one can say he didn't try.

They're both familiar faces around the castle, despite Kuroko not living there anymore, and Momoi not living there ever. They know their way around and Momoi politely declines the offer of assistance in finding the Baron's private dining room.

Akashi isn't the showy type, the castle portrays a quiet sort of power, why use artificial shows of strength when he can simply force his opposition into submission with a few decisive acts? Kuroko figures it's more intimidating this way. Only a fool would take this to mean Akashi is incapable.

Momoi pushes open the door, calling hello before it's even open all the way.

The table is circular, holding only three occupants at the moment, though all seven places are set. Akashi sits with Murasakibara to his right. There's a seat between Murasakibara and Kise.

"You made it," Akashi says, smiling. He stands up, pulling out a chair to the right of Kise for Momoi. Kise gestures for Kuroko to sit on his other side, between him and Murasakibara. Akashi returns to his place at the table, folding his hands and leaning in a short ways.

Kuroko scans his ribbons. They're as golden as ever, but they seem more active than usual. There aren't any other colors that Kuroko can see. They seem almost anticipatory.

"Shintarou and Daiki will be here shortly," Akashi says. "Satsuki, I wonder if I could ask a favor of you?"

Kuroko tunes out of their conversation to pay attention to Kise, who has half of his body on the table, propping his head on his hand and facing Kuroko.

"We were going to take you guys sooner, but stuff was so busy, there was so much to catch up on. Now that it's done though, we can go! I really think you'll like it, and I know Momoi will. We stopped to camp there on our way back. It's a small field but the spring leads up to a waterfall and- well, I want to keep it a surprise, but it's definitely magic. I figure you and Momoi will be able to make more sense of it than we could, but even if you don't, it'll still be fun."

"It certainly sounds like it, thank you for thinking to invite us."

He's making efforts, keeping part of his attention on Kise's ribbons. The grey film is still in place, they still produce a voided space, but the bright yellow glow just barely shines through. Each of the ribbons make attempts to reach out to Kuroko, stopping just shy of him before withdrawing and trying again a few moments later.

"Of course. It's a couple days out though, so we'll be camping in other places, but it'll be just like old times. Well, plus Momoi, but still," he says, smiling as he shrugs his shoulders. Momoi catches his last few words and rolls her eyes good naturedly before returning to her conversation with Akashi.

Murasakibara remains silent and it takes Kuroko a moment to realize that it's because he's half asleep?

"What happened?" he asks.

"Hm? Oh, Akashicchi actually made him join everyone for practice, that and he was up really early today."

Strange.

Aomine and Midorima arrive at the same time a few minutes later, the former freshly washed if his damp hair is anything to go by, and the latter looking as though he's ready to collapse. He does, in fact, falling into the chair on Akashi's other side, leaving Aomine to sit between him and Momoi. Murasakibara wakes up then, blinking slowly as he scans the room before sitting up straight.

Shortly after, they're eating, Kuroko pouring some of the calming draught from the flask into his cup. He doesn't really care if the others see him, for all they know it's alcohol. Momoi is angling herself toward Aomine as she talks to him so there's not an issue.

Midorima explains his tardiness, there were a fer clerical errors in the records that needed correcting. He'd also gone to pick up a few things at Akashi's requests. He presents them once he's finished speaking.

He holds up two books. One is bound in worn leather, about as thick as Kuroko's hand length. It's old, certainly, whatever had been etched or stamped into the cover has worn off to the point that it's impossible to make out. The second book is about a third as thick, also leatherbound but it's been stained a dark red. There's nothing on the cover to indicate what its contents are, but it's held shut by two straps stained the same dark red as the rest of it.

"We came across these while we were away, I figured this would be as good a time as any to present them," Akashi says. "Satsuki, we found an old spellbook that may be of use to you, none of our scholars could make anything of it, but I faith you'll figure it out."

Midorima hands the first book off to Aomine who passes it to Momoi.

The moment she touches it, the book glows a soft pink. A painful whine screeches through Kuroko's head as her ribbons flare out. They give out a few bolts of light, stretching out until they're taught.

Then it's over and her ribbons are back to normal.

Wait, not normal.

Her ribbons are still pink but they're now interrupted by a pulsing streak silver that runs the entire length of each ribbon. He can't sense any emotional distress, if he couldn't see the silver, he'd assume nothing had changed. Curious, he calls one over. There's no change in their response, and when it wraps around his wrist, it feels the same.

"And Tetsuya."

Kuroko's head snaps up, attention broken from Momoi's ribbons as Akashi begins speaking again.

"The second book is for you. As near as we can tell, it was written by a number of Empaths over the course of several years. It's practically nonsense to us, but you've told me before that the nature of Empaths is abstract, so I imagine it will make more sense to you."

Midorima passes the book down and, similar to what happened with Momoi, when Kuroko touches the book it glows faintly grey and the straps holding it shut loosen and fall right off.

He finds himself frozen, unable to even think about opening it for a few short moments. He knows if he does so now, they won't be getting his attention back until he's read cover to cover. With shaky hands, he fits the straps back on.

"Thank you very much for this, I'll read it once we've retired for the night."

As a whole, the meal is a partial success. For what it's worth, the atmosphere is light. But even with the calming draught, the five of them together prove to be something of a challenge. Kuroko doesn't get as nauseas as he usually does but his stomach is uncomfortably tight for the majority of the meal.

The conversation is fine though. Kise clues Kuroko and Momoi in to the castle gossip and in turn Momoi tells them some of the plans she has for the shop. They don't dig for deep topics, it's all rather surface level and Kuroko's rather grateful for that.

It ends eventually though.

Momoi digs in her knapsack for Kuroko's bag, handing it to him and kissing his forehead before Midorima walks her to her room.

"Kuroko," Aomine says.

"Hm?"

"Can I talk to you?"

Everything in him says 'no', but Kuroko's nodding before he can stop himself. He slips his bag over his shoulder and holds his newly acquired book to his chest, following Aomine out the door.

The castle is still fairly alive, though he imagines it will fall quiet soon enough.

Aomine is quiet for a short while as they walk the main hall.

"You can still see our ribbons, right?" he asks at last. "They haven't disappeared?"

"No, they have not. I can still see them." Kuroko isn't quite sure where this line of questioning is going. In the dim light he can't make out any other colors beneath the grey, so he's at a bit of a loss.

"Have they changed? Since you were with us, I mean."

Kuroko really doesn't want to answer. Giving the ribbons a physical body only muddies the water. For all intents and purposes, they're _magic_. It's never been the case that giving abstract things non-abstract descriptions has helped anything because it's an untrue representation. If he tells Aomine that the ribbons have changed then the next logical thought is that they have to make the ribbons change back.

"The ribbons do what they want, with few constraints."

Yes, constraints like idiots who've disillusioned themselves.

Aomine is quiet for a while. By this point they're climbing one of the further removed staircases to the upper levels of the castle.

"The ribbons are the reason you left, aren't they? I've tried to figure why you'd just stop all of a sudden and it's been a year and I still hadn't come up with anything. Then Satsuki brought up the ribbons and I thought- I don't even know."

They're fast approached Kuroko's room.

"Neither do I."

It's a lie, of course it is. Kuroko's spent many nights puzzling out just why his friends' ribbons had changed.

The answer is simple, but he hates it all the same.

In the beginning, their sync was based on the belief that Kuroko could help them attain levels of power they'd not yet been able to reach. In essence, their heightened abilities came from their belief in Kuroko himself. Then, as their power grew, they became confident in their own abilities. Their belief shifted to themselves.

This wouldn't have been a problem if they'd simply told him. Instead, they'd broken the sync, torn out the anchors, left him alone with an emotional deficit the size of the sky.

"Goodnight Aomine, I'll see you in the morning."

Kuroko opens the door and closes it behind him once Aomine's returned his 'goodnight'.

He blindly fishes in his bag for a marble and lights up the room

Akashi must have it cleaned in preparation for tonight. Everything is more less how he left it, he'd taken nearly everything with him to Momoi's so it's not as if there's much to disturb.

Once he's dressed in sleep clothes, he sits down on the bed, book in his lap.

His hands shake as he removes the straps.

He's never had a source of information on Empaths, let alone one directly from an Empath. That he has something like this now makes him feel giddy as a child.

Opening the front cover reveals a small symbol pressed into the center of the blank first page. It's a single vertical line, with a circle on both sides of the center. Equidistance from the right circle and the top of the vertical line are two horizontal lines angled up. It's the same on the left side, but the horizontal lines are angled down and are equidistant from the circle and the bottom of the line.

It's not something he's ever seen before.

Though, if this book was truly written by an Empath then that might be the key.

With a deep breath, Kuroko manifests his colors, stopping well enough away from broadcasting, and waves his hand over the symbol. Just as it had earlier, the book glows a faint grey.

Nothing happens so Kuroko stops manifesting and turns the page.

"Oh."

Kuroko makes himself comfortable against the pillows as he starts to read, unable to take his eyes from the page.

It's an account, an old one but he honestly does not care about the age. The Empath who started it gives no name for themself but starts off with a small introduction. They began the book as a project to conglomerate the knowledge of different magical types. This book was to be part of a larger collection spanning everything from the old magics to new age technique.

The first author writes at length about color bases and the various types of ribbons. It's very much a basic foundation. The next few chapters are dedicated to the altering of ribbons, detailing what degree an Empath can reach in their alteration.

The second author gives no introduction for themself either but it's clear they've started this many years after the first author. They explain the situation, how the project was abandoned due to rising fear of magic users. Still, they wanted to continue the work. The chapters belonging to the second author continue at length about Empaths themselves, particularly about broadcasting and manifestation. They confirm what Kuroko's always been somewhat uneasy about and that's the lack of his own ribbons. For Empaths it's more of a field around them, allowing them, among other things, to be identified by other Empaths.

The third, and final, author doesn't explain anything about themself, but writes about the climate surrounded Empaths as they write their portion of the book. This portion of the book provides Kuroko with the information he's been seeking since he found out what he was. It details what Empaths are capable of through other people. Kuroko had used his sync to empower his friends, allow them to work as a cohesive unit. He's never used his abilities for offensive reasons, and though he knows of the Empath who puppeteered their king, he's never figured out how they'd done it.

It's scare in a way, this newfound knowledge. He'd never thought of his abilities as a force for evil, if anything they're a force of good for him.

Kuroko finishes the book, surprised to find a few blank pages at the very end as well as space for more. Room for a fourth author, he figures.

He holds his hand out for the marble and the room is dark.

* * *

Kuroko doesn't sleep for the two and a half days it takes them to reach the spring.

He'd neglected to consider the fact that he could no longer interact with their ribbons so he stayed awake by sheer willpower alone.

They reach the spring as the sun sets and Kise all but leaps from his saddle, dragging Kuroko off his, and taking Momoi's hand once she's on the ground. He drags them around, showing them the flowers growing directly from below the water, breaking the surface. He starts to take them to the waterfall before Midorima stops him.

"Wait until tomorrow," he says. "It would be best to experience when they're not addled with fatigue."

Kise concedes and they set up camp.

Kuroko is asleep the moment he's vaguely horizontal.

Consequences be damned.

* * *

Momoi is reluctant to sleep.

Kuroko has done is best to explain the ribbons to her, and she's still a little uncertain in what she's been told. What she does know is that whatever happened a year ago has cut Kuroko off from Akashi, Midorima, Murasakibara, Kise, and Aomine's ribbons. She knows that it was a physical painful event, and that, when Kuroko arrived at the shop alone, he'd been surrounded by a grey tinge. He'd fallen into Momoi's arms and cried for a long while. She knows that Kise and Aomine's ribbons have been locked up somehow, to the point that Kuroko can't use visual clues to figure out their emotions but he can still touch them, and that he's simply unable to interact with the other three's ribbons.

She doesn't know how. She's not quite sure as to what caused the distinction, or what it all means on a detailed level.

Before they left, Kuroko expressed concern about being so close to the ribbons while he slept. Most of his explanation had made no sense but she's still worried.

Midorima is on the first watch and Momoi moves to sit beside him.

"How has he been?" Midorima asks after a while.

"Better, for the most part."

She knows that working with Kagami has definitely been helping. Kuroko's told her before that his own moods are somewhat influenced by that of those around him. He can draw on positive emotions and manipulate those easier than he can negative ones. She figures that exposing him to more ribbons than just her own is good for him.

"If I can ask something," Midorima begins. "The day we returned, something happened to him. What was it?"

"Oh, that."

Momoi bites her lip, thinking. It had been an anomaly, that much is for certain. Kuroko had manifested his colors, not of his own will she's sure. He'd sounded so scared, like he'd been exposed to a dark side of the world he'd been ignorant of the entire time. She knows the ribbons don't hurt him, he says hers often latch onto him at times. So for him to be hurt by a ribbon was something that was most definitely _not_ supposed to happen.

She knows Kuroko wouldn't want her to tell their friends, but she has to say something or Midorima will come up with his own theories.

"It was an Empath thing," she says.

"An Empath thing," Midorima repeats, clasping his hands together. "He looked like he was in pain. Should we be worried?"

"No, it hasn't happened again, he's fine."

It's only for a second, one single second is all it takes.

Aomine, Murasakibara, Kise, and Akashi snap awake at the same time, Midorima goes rigid, and Momoi feels fire race inside her.

One second.

There are tears pouring down their faces. There's nausea swirling to life in their stomachs. But the worst part is the gaping hole they feel in their chest. It's cavernous, nothing but empty black and it _aches_.

Then it's gone and they catch a glimpse of the faintest film of grey vanish from around Kuroko's still sleeping body.

* * *

I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but I do have an end in mind so I'm going to work up another outline to see if I can at least ballpark for you about how long this story will be.

Thank you for being patient with me, let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Apologies for the delay, after Disquiet's last update, I had finals so I was unable to work on stories, but here's the next chapter.

* * *

He's woken by quiet chatter, and a pain in his neck. It's been some time since he's camped like this. He'd forgotten how uncomfortable the bedrolls are.

With a yawn, Kuroko sits up, rubbing his eyes. Out of habit, he seeks out Momoi's ribbons, drawing on them to wake him up further. He stays away from the silver streaks, focusing on just the pink. Until he knows what they are, he doesn't want to try anything with them. Maybe there's more in the book, he'll have to read it through a second time in case there's anything he missed.

The quiet chatter.

Everyone else is awake, Momoi sits between the lot of them. She's explaining something but it doesn't look like she's doing so very clearly.

Judging by the colors he _can_ see in the other's ribbons, they haven't been awake very long.

"Tetsu," Aomine says, "morning."

"Morning," Kuroko mumbles back.

It's strange. He's camped like this for years, his time with the others mandated this sort of travel arrangement whenever they weren't at the castle. Akashi doesn't like inns, and neither does Murasakibara but his dislike is founded solely on the size issue, so they'd always camped outside during their travels. However, just one year of living with Momoi, of waking up in his bed nearly every morning and dragging himself downstairs for coffee, has made this whole situation foreign.

Momoi gets up to stoke the small fire they have going, using her magic to pour out a cup of coffee for him. She tips in half a bottle of what Kuroko recognizes as his morning pick-me-up, and hands it over.

"Thank you," he says, taking a small sip.

"You sleep okay?" she asks.

Something flickers in her ribbons but it's gone before he gets a good look at it.

Behind her, everyone else is still seated on their bedrolls. The strange thing is that Akashi's ribbons span the entire space. He has one ribbon twined with one of everyone else's. _Twined_ , not melded. There's no color bleeding, just an iron grip.

Then, as if they're attuned to Kuroko's attention, once he processes the thought, they let go. There's no visible physical change in the other's, but Akashi's ribbons return to his person.

"Well enough," he says.

Momoi just smiles and takes a few moments to fix his hair, a bit of magic on her fingertips as she does so.

"Can I talk to you a second?" she asks quietly, voice too soft for the others to hear.

Her ribbons flick nervously behind her and a few actually wind up Kuroko's arms.

"Sure."

They make use of themselves, walking the horses to an unconnected river nearby so they can drink.

"What is it?" Kuroko asks they start walking. He's got the reins for his own horse, as well as Kise and Akashi's. Momoi and Aomine's horses walk on their own at her side while she holds the reins for Murasakibara and Midorima's horses.

"Well, you, uh," she bites her lip, "you broadcasted last night."

Kuroko stops walking, Kise's horse just barely bumping into him.

That can't be. There's just no way, right? It can't be because of the spring, enchanted or not, he's lived with Momoi for a year and the shop is packed full of magical items. He's been under the influence of high potency potions before, ones that have made him sleep for several days at a time, and he's never once broadcasted. What could it be then? The book? Does it have its own independent magical value? Given how it reacted to his initial touch, and it's response to his color manifestation, it's not farfetched. But why here? Why not at the castle? Though, he wouldn't know if he broadcasted at the castle. His room is fairly far removed from most of the castle population. If anybody was woken, they'd probably chalk it up to a nightmare of some kind.

"That's impossible," he says. "I don't broadcast while I'm asleep, I've never broadcasted in my sleep before."

He moves forward, clicking the horses along.

"I know, but you did last night. It was just for a second, barely a second, but you did. You manifested your colors too, probably for a little longer, but I wanted to talk to you about this first before they start asking questions."

Were they already asking? Is that what he woke up to? The strange behavior of Akashi's ribbons would certainly attest to a serious subject matter. Aomine was the only one who said anything to him, what were they others thinking?

"Were they awake?"

"Me and Midorin were already up, the other four woke up because of your broadcasting."

"How bad was it?"

Momoi's ribbons shake, a few more moving to latch onto him, winding tight around his arms. They're still pink for the most part though a few slivers of grey have wormed their way into the edges.

"It wasn't good, Tetsu, it felt like dying."

Her voice peters out just a little and Kuroko figures it's just dawned on her what exactly it was that she felt.

He remembers last night, not the broadcasting of course, but the dream he had. Away from his room, away from Momoi's many charms, physically fatigued from two days of travel without sleep, emotionally drained by the anxiety of how this trip would go.

Kuroko didn't sleep well.

His body had been beyond tired, his mind had been ready to run him down.

It was that moment again, the moment he lost them.

The moment they stopped believing in him.

"Do you feel like that all the time?" Momoi asks.

They come to a stop at the bank and the horses happily take to the small river, moving in turn between the water and the green around them.

Kuroko leans against a tree and shakes his head.

"Not all the time, no," he says. "Not even most of the time, to be honest, the physical hurt has faded some, but what you felt is likely the replica of how it felt that day."

He knows he doesn't have to clarify. Momoi knows what he means. How could she forget him stumbling into the shop, alone, colors manifested and faded, sobbing? He told her what happened after he'd taken a day to more or less recover. He'd been a mess, empty, ready to cry at the drop of a hat. Momoi hadn't understood initially, he knows that, knew that, but he told her about it all the same. It had taken a day to get back home afterwards, Kuroko had stayed quiet, in some form of shock, not processing much of anything until he stumbled into the shop.

"What do you want me to tell them?" she asks after a moment. "I know it's difficult for you to explain the ribbons, I mean, we're both magical and I can barely grasp them."

Kuroko smiles softly and shrugs.

"Have they come to the conclusion not to ask me themselves?"

Momoi laughs at that.

"I think they believe you won't answer them if they did."

The horses seem to have had their fill so Momoi and Kuroko take up the reins again and begin walking.

"If it's an consolation, this may have helped them understand a little of what it's like for you."

It's an interesting thought. They only felt it for a split second according to Momoi, enough that the feeling would fade after a short while. Kuroko felt like that for _hours_.

And he didn't have anyone nearby to experience it with him.

"Can I ask you something? I suppose I've been wondering for a while actually."

"I'll do my best to answer."

Momoi clears her throat as they walk in silence for a few more paces before she speaks up.

"What did you mean, exactly, when you said that you lost them? I guess that part I don't understand is how you had them in the first place, and also how you enhanced their abilities. I know you can interact with their ribbons, or could rather, but how...I'm just trying to understand the process."

It's easy to connect the dots of thought process in his own head, it's in articulating that he finds trouble.

"To say that I _had_ them is a bit of poor word choice on my part, um, let's see. I suppose- They were skilled before I was put onto the team, you grew up with Aomine, you know this. The way I made them more powerful- it's not that I necessarily-"

Kuroko huffs a sigh and stays quiet as he tries to put together the words. It's simple to him, but it's all visual.

"It wasn't _me_ who dictated how powerful they became," he says at last. "Their power was reliant on their faith in my abilities. I used my powers as an Empath to tie them all to each other so they could work cohesively, I increased their energy, sapped their fatigue, kept them levelheaded in battle, those sorts of things. But I could only do that, if they put their faith in me. The more they trusted me, the deeper my magic could work. When they had more faith in themselves...that's what broke the sync."

It's not completely right, not totally accurate, but it's the best he can do with the words available to him.

"And you can't tell them that?"

Kuroko shakes his head.

"It's not a tangible matter, describing it as one will just give them false direction and make it all the more difficult. Even what I've just told you isn't completely correct, there's just no way to explain these things to someone who's not an Empath, not with perfect accuracy anyway."

He promptly stops talking when their makeshift camp comes into view. Momoi shifts the reins she has to free up one of her hands. She ruffles his hair and smiles softly, more of a twitch in her lips really.

"We'll figure it out then," she says.

They don't bother hobbling the horses, they're well enough behaved not to wander off or spook too easily. Though, Kise's mare does have a tendency to bolt towards new and exciting things, usually small animals or the occasional shining flower.

"Kurokocchi! Momocchi! Come on! We got Murasakibaracchi to make breakfast."

A wall of nostalgia slams into him, Kuroko nearly stumbles.

It usually takes a hell of a lot of badgering for Murasakibara to cook anything, let alone a full meal. More often than not, he can be convinced to at least bake some kind of sweet treat. Kuroko's guilty of pushing Murasakibara on multiple occasions to sneak into the castle kitchen and make cake before curfew. They'd end up on the roof of the observation spire and eat the whole thing between the two of them, occasionally with the addition of Kise or Aomine if they happened to be up.

He hasn't had Murasakibara's cooking in a year.

Kuroko sits down on his bedroll and drinks everything in.

If it weren't for the nausea swirling in his stomach, he could imagine that the past year never happened, that they'd brought Momoi along on a trip and that it's just another day.

Akashi sits directly in front of him, a low burning fire between the two of them. Murasakibara sits as curled up as his body allows him, working an iron pan with a wooden spatula. Midorima is sitting beside him, inspecting his fingers. Aomine's moved to make room for Momoi and Kise's practically bouncing, waiting for his opportunity to speak.

"So, Kise," Momoi says, sitting down beside Kuroko and facing the others, "what's the plan?"

He stops bouncing, a brilliant smile splitting his lips as his ribbons start to shake happily, snapping about in the air.

"I figured we could explore the cave first," he says. "Then we can go for a swim, pick some of the flowers maybe? I'm sure whatever magical property they have could be useful."

"Sounds great."

Kuroko's more focused on the food than the conversation that bubbles up around him. He takes his time. He's always preferred Murasakibara's cooking to the food at the castle, and he most definitely prefers it to Momoi's. She can manage coffee, and the occasional soup, but he usually ends up making something simplistic for the two of them. This though, this is wonderful and Kuroko's wondering how difficult it would be to figure out whenever Murasakibara cooks at the castle then sneak in and take some without being seen. If he can tune out his own presence enough, it shouldn't be too much of an issue, although-

"Kurokocchi."

"Hm?"

He looks up, gaze connecting with Kise's. The others are still conversing with each other, but their ribbons are stiff, hyperfocused. It's a ruse, he figures Kise's going to pull him aside so Momoi can talk to them.

"Help me with the dishes?" Kise asks.

It's then that Kuroko realizes he's finished his food, and so has everyone else.

Well, damn.

"Of course."

Kuroko rocks up to his feet, collecting the metal tins while Kise hefts the still warm pan from the fire pit. They make their way to the river that he and Momoi have just come back from, but Kuroko's doesn't really mind.

Kise babbles the whole way.

"We didn't know it was an enchanted spring when we camped out," he starts, "then the flowers started glowing. It was a full moon, which is why they didn't glow last night, I think anyway. You know I've never been great with magic stuff. Anyway, I decided to check the water out on my own, Akashicchi said it was a bad idea, and Aominecchi said if I got cursed it was my own fault. But it was fine, and I didn't. Anyway, I can't wait for you to see it."

"I'm sure it will be wonderful."

Kise hums thoughtfully as he adjusts his grip on the iron pan.

"Akashicchi never revoked your emblem, right?" he asks after a moment.

"No, I still have it."

"Then, you not coming on missions...is that because of something we did? Something I did?"

It's a double sided question. Technically, yes, but at the same time, they didn't make the conscious effort to break the sync, Kuroko knows that much. If he tells Kise that it was indeed something they did, then that will lead to Kise attempting to change his behavior, or press for more details, and that will complicate things further. But to say that it wasn't their fault would be a lie and that would open the door for more questions and confusion.

"It's not so simple that I can give you a straight answer."

"Well, even if you don't come on missions with us anymore, we can still be friends, can't we?"

Kuroko bites his lip. If it weren't for the physical side effects, he would have no issue. But that's not the case. The case is that he can no longer interact with their ribbons, he can no longer handle long term exposure to the five of them without feeling ill. He has to watch their ribbons fight against them because the ribbons know what they want, even if their owners don't.

"I...am not sure, my being an Empath complicates this more than you can understand."

"Momocchi's explained a few things- well, she's tried. I managed to do some research when we were away. The kingdom we got that Empath book from? They had a big library, lots of magical information. There wasn't a lot on Empaths, besides your book that is, but I found a small mention of them in another book. I guess I was trying to understand more, but I don't think I was all that successful. I mean, Momoi's a witch and I can barely understand how she does what she does."

Kise's ribbons are shaking, not in the happy way they usually do, they waver, the grey lock around them turning unnaturally shiny.

Then, something unexpected.

One of them rests lightly on Kuroko's shoulder, the grey bleeding away for a single second. Then the grey is back and Kise's ribbon snaps back to his body.

Kuroko stumbles.

It's just a second, but he doesn't need any longer.

The void that currently claims residency in his chest fills up for that one second. His vision filters gold and the world erupts into innumerable shining particles until the ribbon moves away.

"You okay?" Kise asks.

"Fine," Kuroko chokes out, "just tripped."

He knows Kise says more, but he can't hear anything. His body moves mechanically towards the river, following Kise's lead as they kneel down on the bank. These actions aren't new to him, he's done this enough times that he could probably do it in his sleep. He and Kise usually ended up pulling the short straw when it came to dish duty, this is a scene not at all uncommon.

Between the book and his apparent broadcasting, he already had enough to think about, but now he has to factor in this as well.

Before he knows it, they're on their way back to the camp and the void in his chest has returned full force.

Just like this morning, Akashi's ribbons span the area, twined around everyone else's ribbons, holding them in a vice grip. When Kuroko processes their position, they let go and return to the space immediately around Akashi. Momoi passes Kuroko a flask when he gets close enough and he doesn't question it, downing half of it in one go, the odd taste of calming draught preceding the disappearance of his nausea.

They clean up their camp and Kise takes the lead as they walk towards the waterfall.

At first glance, it doesn't look particularly eye catching, the water is fairly bright, but that could be attributed to the glowing flowers in the pool it runs into.

Momoi waves her hand above her head, one of her bracelets glowing before a rough shield of pink magic forms overhead, centered on her wrist. It manages to cover, in addition to herself, Kuroko and Midorima. Kise barrels through, followed by Aomine and Murasakibara. Akashi simply walks through the water and emerges on the other side with only a single drop of water clinging to his hair. Both Momoi and Kuroko have confronted him about whether or not he possess magical qualities, they know for certain he's no wizard or sorcerer as he can't willingly perform any feat of magic. The working theory between the two of them is that Akashi's lineage isn't so cut and dry as it seems.

Not that they would ever say that to his face.

Passing through the water, Kuroko nearly slips, Midorima catches him by his arm and keeps him on his feet as they step into the initial cavern. His world flashes green, a spike driving through his brain and then Midorima lets go and everything returns to normal.

"Oh," Momoi says.

'Oh' indeed.

While the wall isn't made up of them, it might as well be. Glowing stones tightly tile the walls of the cavern, most of them are some degree of white but some have streaks of color through them, illuminating the space like soft daylight. What's more, there's a definite effect on the ribbons.

Momoi's sing louder and the shade of pink becomes softer as the visual form of the ribbons starts to waver and warble. Kuroko can't get a color change off Aomine and Kise's but they both start up a low hum. Murasakibara's multiply and grow until they nearly fill the space of the cavern, as if to compensate, their already languid movement slows until they're nearly still. Midorima's, in turn, begin to fuse together as until they form only two separate ribbons of considerable size, flanking each side of him like a pair of wings. Their color doesn't change so much as it takes up a small glow in the center. Strangest of all is Akashi's ribbons. They're back to how they were before, no longer a sickening shade of gold, but red once more. Even stranger, they're back to their original red, dark and deep of course, but with soft edges that are nearly pink.

There is, however, one ribbon that remains completely gold.

"This is amazing," Momoi says, resting one of her hands on Kise's shoulder. "Is it like this all the way through? How did we not see this last night? It would have shone through the water, wouldn't it?"

Kise shrugs.

"It's magic, I was hoping you could figure it out," he says.

"Tetsu?" she turns to him, a familiar light sparking to life in her eyes. Her ribbons snap out, quite a few of them looping around Kuroko's hands and arms.

He nods and Momoi moves to place her hand on the wall.

Kuroko takes a deep breath and focuses. His eyes start to glow and Momoi's ribbons sing brighter. She presses her palm directly on a glowing section of green and begins to mutter under her breath. Kuroko's never been good with incantations, he's picked up a few over the years, but he doesn't recognize this one.

He stops amplifying when Momoi moves her hand.

"Amazing," she says.

She pulls a fist sized portion of the still glowing stone away from the wall.

"Your findings?" Akashi asks, arms folded across his chest.

"I- I'm still not even certain, from what I can gather, it has several properties, the majority of which deal with sustaining life and accelerating growth. I'll have to test out a few things back at the shop, but this is- oh, wow."

Kuroko amplifies her magic for another minute so she can gather more of the glowing stone. Once she's gathered enough, she settles them in her bag.

They move on, making their way deeper and deeper into the cave.

The glowing keeps up, though the further they go, the stones shift colors until they pour a soft orange light around them.

Kise leads the way but eventually they end up following Momoi as she darts about, pointing their attention to strange abnormalities in the stone. She speaks allowed, theorizing with herself about how the cave could have been formed.

It's roughly an hour later that the passage narrows dramatically before leading off into a decline.

"Should we continue?" Midorima asks. "We don't know what could be down there."

"Guess it's a good thing we brought our weapons, huh?" Aomine grins, drawing his sword.

In the low light, their ribbons provide more than enough light for Kuroko to see. The orange light around the walls is only just enough to see the ground and an arm's length away in any direction. Standing in the middle of the line though, Kuroko can see everything.

There's no danger as far as he can tell.

"It'll be an adventure," Kise says. "Besides, we got Momocchi here, if we get injured, she's got healing magic, don't you?"

"I do, but I do have offensive spells, you know?" She lightly punches his shoulder, a good natured grin on her lips.

"I see no reason why we shouldn't," Akashi says after a moment. "Everyone stay on your guard though, weapons at the ready, we may as well be prepared if something happens."

Midorima notches an arrow in his bow, Kise draws one of his swords, Murasakibara hefts his hammers from their straps, and Akashi slips a dagger into each hand. Momoi's hands begin to glow with a spell, and Kuroko sighs.

He doesn't carry a weapon, not traditionally anyway, he's not a combatant. When he went on missions he was never in the thick of the fight, always a safe distance away, or guarded by the others. Aomine tried to train him with a weapon but there was nothing like the fluidity of ribbons he'd grown so comfortable with. While the book revealed new ways of offensive attack, Kuroko's spent a good number of years forming his own sort of weapon.

He's never shown it off in front of the others though, there's never been a reason to.

Kuroko takes another breath and closes his eyes a moment.

He doesn't manifest, but a dark film of grey forms over each of his hands, clinging to form a sort of glove.

Akashi gives him an odd look, his ribbons flicking about in an agitated nature, but he says nothing.

As they make their way down the decline, the orange glow gradually starts to fade.

"Momoi," Kuroko says, "the marbles."

She nods and digs into her bag, pulling out a smaller marble than the one Kuroko usually keeps with him. This one is dark blue and she closes her left hand around it, blowing into her fist and shaking the marble. Instead of illuminating the room, it alters their eyes.

She knows Kuroko can see, so she doesn't expend the magical energy to spread the marble's ability to him. But for the others, their eyes instantaneously adjust to the dim, their sight as though the passage was illuminated by torches.

"You can _do_ that?" Kise shouts. He's sheathed his sword in favor of touching his face, just barely short of poking himself in the eyes.

Momoi's laughter echoes around them.

"I've been working on it, yes. There may be a slight tint of color, but you can all see, right?"

"This is pretty cool, Satsuki," Aomine says.

Everyone else nods and then they're on their way.

It's only a half hour or so until the passage opens into a small cave with a pool of glowing water.

"Think it's safe to touch?" Kise asks as they approach the edge of it.

"I'd say it's safe, the bottom is probably lined with the same stones as the initial cavern, why?" Momoi asks.

In answer, Aomine plucks the bow from Midorima's hand the same moment that Kise shoves him into the pool.

Kuroko can't help the sharp bout of laughter that bursts through his lips.

Neither can anyone else it seems.

Midorima flounders for a good ten seconds before dragging himself out of the pool. He's thoroughly soaked, his hair retaining some kind of glow though there doesn't seem to be any effect on his skin. His arrow canvas and satchel hadn't survived the plunge and he looks just about ready to kill Kise.

He settles for lifting Kise up and throwing him into the pool, not giving him the same courtesy of taking his weapons. Kise's scream echoes off the walls and the splash he makes sends glowing droplets of water raining down on the lot of them.

Kuroko sticks close to Akashi, knowing that the others aren't stupid enough to try and throw their captain into the water. Momoi and Murasakibara end up sitting on the edge with their legs in the water. Midorima is wringing out his clothes, bemoaning the damage done to both his arrows and the contents of his satchel.

Momoi gives Kuroko the go ahead to dig around in her bag.

"Midorima," he says, waving the other over.

Midorima sits beside him and hands over the canvas first.

Momoi had worked out a kind of restoration spell that was easy to preform and could fix minor damage that happened in the last ten minutes. Kuroko dumps out the pitch black stones and arranges them in a circle big enough to fit Midorima's canvas. He draws on one of Momoi's ribbons and, maintaining the grey over his hands, begins to channel his own magic, activating the stones.

"How does that work, exactly?" Midorima asks. "I can understand amplification, but you're no wizard, and these aren't the commercial products she sells at the shop."

Kuroko shrugs, still channeling.

"Certain spells only require a knowledge of how that spell works, and then a magical ability. I can't do even half of what Momoi does, but when they're imbued objects, I'm fairly certain that I'm just reactivating her magic and channeling that back to the stones."

Midorima nods and removes his canvas once the glow disappears. He replaces it with his bag and Kuroko repeats the process until the water damage has been reversed.

"Thank you," Midorima says.

"Of course, you should thank Momoi though, it's her creation after all."

They stay at the pool for a another hour or so before Akashi makes the decision for them to go back. There's no trouble as they make their way up the incline, but once they reach the narrow passage at the top, Kise stops suddenly.

"We never set up markers, did we?" he asks after a moment.

They collectively freeze. Aomine swears, and Midorima mumbles something particularly unkind under his breath.

"We can't wander," Aomine says, "we'll just get more lost."

"Didn't we just walk in a straight line?" Murasakibara asks.

"No," Akashi says, "we did a substantial bit of winding."

"At least we're not in darkness." Midorima says.

Kuroko tunes them out as they debate what to do next.

It's not a very large cave system so they won't be wandering indefinitely, but it won't be good if they get lost. Akashi is still the Baron, and they were only to be gone for a few days. He doesn't doubt Riko and Kiyoshi, but the castle has a habit of going into a bit of a panic whenever Akashi ends up away for longer than expected. They didn't bring too many provisions with them either, having not expected to stay long in the cave. They didn't leave any markers, so there's no surefire way to get back out.

Unless…

He unscrews his flask and drinks the remaining calming draught before moving to the front of the group.

"I need everyone to be quiet a moment."

Thought not as potent as a person's, animals have ribbons as well. They aren't as complex, they present differently, but they're easier to interact with. They're not so fickle either, Kuroko's never seen a grey lock over an animal's ribbons. While not good for drawing emotions from, he can still use them like a tether.

He shakes the grey he's been maintaining around his hands in favor of manifesting his colors. He doesn't like manifesting, something about showing other people his colors seems like a breach of privacy, but with manifestation comes a firmer grasp on whatever it is he's trying to do.

And, as of now, there are the ribbons of seven different creatures that he can latch onto.

He closes his eyes and manifests enough to push his perimeter the short distance it needed to encompass the horses. It's the ribbons from Akashi's horse that he manages to get a good grip on, and he wraps them around one hand.

"Follow me," Kuroko says.

The world swims in color around him as he starts walking.

There's quiet chatter behind him but he tunes it out.

While he doesn't need to focus in order to keep contact with willing human ribbons, animals are different.

It takes nearly an hour, mostly due to Kuroko dropping to his knees as his manifestation flickers, but they make it out, greeted happily by their worried mounts.

Kuroko sits down on the ground immediately, uncaring that he's being sprayed by the waterfall, vanishing his manifestation and sucking down air.

He's never manifested for so long before, and the added pressure of being around the others certainly hadn't helped. But they're fine now, out of the cave, back in the sunlight. He eases down until he's lying on his back.

"Tetsu?" Aomine crouches beside him, ribbons anxiously stretching and retracting. They're back to normal, everyone's are. Well, the new normal anyway, how they were before the cave.

"Fine," Kuroko mumbles, "'m fine."

Aomine helps him sit up and the world plunges into dark blue until he lets go.

"What was that?" he asks.

"Manifesting," Kuroko says, "I used it to find the horses."

"Can you do it again?" Kise asks.

Kuroko shakes his head, bringing his knees up so he can prop his arms on them.

"Give him some space, you two," Momoi says, hoisting Kuroko to his feet. She walks him a short ways over and digs in her bag for the bottle containing, what is most likely, the remaining half of his pick-me-up. He tosses it back in one go, finding out immediately why Momoi has always mixed it into coffee.

He gags a little bit and hands her back the bottle.

"Do you feel okay?" she asks, taking his face in hand and turning it side to side.

"Just drained, give me a moment. Go, Kise looks very excited about the flowers."

He stays on his feet until Momoi reluctantly makes her way to the edge of the spring. Kise's already dropped his sword belt and is in the process of cuffing his pants. Whatever the plan is, Kuroko figures he'll probably end up diving down into the water before the next hour is up.

Kuroko sits down, his body protesting. He draws on Momoi's ribbons to combat the dull ache until the potion kicks in.

He gets a worried look from his former team but he waves them off. When they've turned towards the spring, he lets out a breath he doesn't remember holding and closes his eyes.

Someone sits beside him, he knows it's not Aomine or Kise, their voided spaces are stronger than this. It's not Murasakibara, his ribbons are massive and billowy, they stir the air with their their movement and Kuroko doesn't feel any of that. Which means it's either Midorima or Akashi.

The two have always had vastly different ribbon sense, but with the voided space it's difficult to tell without opening his eyes.

'You've been practicing."

It's Akashi.

"Refining, mostly," Kuroko says,opening his eyes just enough to see the clearing around them.

"Either way, it was impressive."

"Thank you."

"Animals have ribbons then?"

"They do."

There's a pause as Kise screams, Midorima having thrown him into the spring, evidently still upset with what happened at the cave pool.

"Did you enjoy the book?"

"I did, yes, it was wonderful."

"If I can admit, we all tried to read it, but we couldn't make any sense of it. Shintarou proposed the idea of a magical binding preventing non-empaths from understanding the contents."

"It had a reaction upon contact, but I've only gone through it once."

Akashi nods and they lapse into quiet, fixing their attention on the others as they dive into the water. Midorima and Momoi are dry, sitting in the grass with a few cloth presses lying around them. Murasakibara is floating atop the water while Aomine and Kise dive down to bring up flowers.

"I assume there was another reason for this trip?" Kuroko asks after a moment.

While he doesn't doubt this whole adventure was Kise's idea, he'd be an idiot to assume Akashi doesn't have another motive. That's just how these things work. Akashi implements himself into the standard flow of things without disruption, using events put into place by others to his own advantage. And while that sounds rather nefarious, it isn't, not completely. He's used this process to plan surprise birthday parties for Momoi, just the same as he's used it for ambushes against their enemies.

"You broadcasted last night," Akashi says instead, "that's what Momoi called it. I assume she discussed with you what to tell us when you two went to water the horses this morning."

"She did."

"Is there anything you can elaborate on?"

"No, not without painting a false picture."

"I see."

Akashi rocks to his feet, rolling his shoulders once he's standing. He doesn't make any move to indicate that Kuroko should stand up, but one of his ribbons stretches out until it's painfully taut, just a breath away from Kuroko's arm.

The gold of Akashi's ribbons aren't the same as Kise's. Kise's ribbons are more yellow, they're brighter, while Akashi's are darker, like actual gold bars. Their original red was pretty, Kuroko finds he misses it in a way. The gold they hold now retains none of the comfort as the red.

"Take as long as you need to recover," Akashi says. "Do you want me to get Satsuki to check you over?"

"No, thank you, that won't be necessary."

Akashi nods before making his way to the spring. Momoi looks up at his approach and smiles. Kuroko isn't an expert at reading lips but he figures that she's asking about him because she casts her gaze beyond Akashi to Kuroko. He waves back and moves to lie down on the grass.

Before he closes his eyes, two of the horses settle down beside him, his own and Akashi's. The latter remains standing while the former joins him on the ground with a snort, butting his torso before settling down.

Kuroko doesn't think much of it but stows the thought away to look at later.

* * *

As stated in the earlier note, I had finals after I updated Disquiet so I had to take a break from story work to make sure I passed my classes. That being said, I've posted a few updates on the tumblr blog to let you know what's going on story wise so if you'd check that out, that'd be great!

In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I know some people have been asking about Kagami, he'll play a bigger role probably in the next chapter, so he'll get some legitimate dialogue and what not. If you've got questions, please ask, but let me know what you think! I hope everyone has a good winter season!


	9. Chapter 9

There's more to the book than he originally thought.

Kuroko manifests his colors again, but keeps them manifested as he broadcasts just far enough to stretch past the book in his hands. It's a strain on his body, containing a broadcast to such a small field, but he keeps it up, feeling his energy leave him.

The book takes on a blue glow and as Kuroko opens it up, there's more writing. The words are scribbled in the margins, small diagrams are scratched into the cover. Most impressive, however, is that the pages in the back of the book, the ones Kuroko thought were blank, contain cramped lines of writing that fill the pages from top to bottom.

He takes the next hour and a half to read, committing the information to memory. He doesn't dare write anything down, getting the sense that this information should be kept within the book.

When he stops manifesting, the writing goes away.

It's another hour of experimenting, manifesting and changing his colors reveals new writing overlayed with each other, different scripts visible with different emotions.

He'll have to do something to thank Akashi for this book, it's a godsend, and he'll think of what that will be later.

He still has questions, but this book has answers to things he's been wondering since he was a child.

When his self appointed time is up, he closes the book and places it beneath his pillow. There's still a short time before he has to prep the shop for opening, so Kuroko makes his way downstairs to start on coffee before Momoi wakes up.

It's going to be a good day, he's sure of it now. When they'd returned from their impromptu camping trip, Kuroko nearly collapsed on his bed, sleeping the day away and awaking at some godforsaken time in the early morning. Once he'd downed a pick me up and some coffee, he'd been set to rights for the remainder of the day.

Today is good though, he hopes it stays that way, at least until the shop closes.

Momoi stumbles into the kitchen, dressed for the day but still tired.

"Did you sleep okay?" Kuroko asks, pouring her a mug of coffee.

"I've slept better," she says with a yawn. "You're up early."

"I was doing some reading."

Momoi takes the offered drink and slams it back. Kuroko would be worried about her scalding herself if he hadn't seen the slight tinge of blue magic on her fingers when she took the mug.

"Better?"

"Much."

She tussles his hair and gives him a smile.

"That's good."

They get the shop ready for opening, Kuroko ties his bells around his wrists as Momoi double checks her client room, propping the door open before doing a quick scan of the shop. They'll probably have to take a crafting weekend to replenish stocks. Momoi's never run out of anything before, but she likes to have some excess just in case.

Additionally, she's been drawing up ideas for new items, non commercial use of course. Her rings had been a stroke of genius, and many sleepless nights paired with a fair amount of alcohol, but she'd figured it out. When she'd completed the rings, the others were curious as to whether or not they actually worked. This led to Murasakibara driving one of his hammers into Kise's gut, knocking him unconscious. While unorthodox in execution, it did the job. Momoi's yellow ring turned dull and a small portion of it fragmented across the surface. Once she'd fixed him up, the damage faded.

Of the course of the years, the rings have sustained small damages that won't ever fade, it's mostly scratches at this point, though there was a time when Aomine's ring nearly cracked in half.

Kuroko can't wait to see what she's thought up now.

It's a normal day in the shop, maybe a little slow, but Momoi does have a few clients lined up so Kuroko mans the counter.

"Hey! Kuroko!"

He looks up, eyes searching across the store toward the front door. Takao's ribbons stretch about, knocking gently into those around them. He's never seen Takao's ribbons bleed into anyone elses, they're just incredibly touchy.

Not to mention loud.

"Takao, what can I do for you?" Kuroko asks once the man in question approaches the counter.

"Deliveries today, plus I'm picking out a few things for myself."

Takao sets down three parcels, two that are about the size of Kuroko's hand, and another that Kuroko doubts he could carry with ease.

"And these are from…"

"The two small ones are from one of Momoi's suppliers, the big one came at the request of the Baron, but it's from another kingdom."

"I'll let Momoi know when she's done."

Kuroko's right about the third parcel, it weighs more than expected but it's not impossible. He sets it on the edge of the counter, setting the smaller parcels beside it.

Takao doesn't stick around long, just purchases a few charms and goes to finish his deliveries.

Kuroko takes a moment to look over the parcels while he has the time, occasionally glancing around the store. He's not worried about theft, Momoi has measures in place for that, and Kuroko can see it in someone's ribbons if they're powerful enough to cloak a magical object.

Not that anyone knows that for certain.

He recognizes the strange ribbon on the parcels Takao said are from Momoi's supplier. One of her suppliers makes his own ribbon and there's a unique way he does it that sets it apart from others. It's probably an herb restock.

The bigger parcel though, that holds his interest.

The shape is indicative of a box, something wooden so Kuroko can't make out what's inside. It's the weight that's throwing him, it's not weighted evenly, but there's no sound of shifting from inside. Stranger still is Akashi's involvement. He'd already gifted books to the both of them from their latest mission, so why this? Is it from the same kingdom? Even if it isn't, it's out of character for Akashi.

Even more worrisome is the strange familiarity emanating from the parcel. Something that hovers at the back of his mind and Kuroko can't place it. It's infuriating.

What the hell is it?

He finds himself anxious, impatiently waiting for Momoi to be done with clients, for the shop to empty, so he can find out what's inside the box. The feeling mounts until he takes one of Momoi's aprons and throws it over the parcel so he doesn't have to look at it.

They hit a lull just after midday, but Momoi's in with another client. He slips into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, using one of the heat stones so he doesn't have to wait for the water to boil. He'll wait to eat with Momoi and returns to his post at the counter.

Kuroko drags a stool to his spot and sits down, resting his chin atop his folded hands.

And he waits, sipping his tea occasionally, nearly falling asleep.

The bell chimes and he almost ignores it, but the ribbons catch his attention.

"Hey, Kuroko."

Himuro stands at the door, hand held high and waving so Kuroko can see. He has Kagami with him, but no sign of Riko or Kiyoshi.

"Hello."

The two of them make their way further in, and Kuroko arches a brow when he sees Kagami walking on his own. He's on crutches, yes, but not currently kept standing by another person.

Impressive.

"What brings you two here?" Kuroko asks.

"Just wanted to stop by," Kagami says.

"Taiga was getting restless, that and we were going to be here later anyhow, figured we'd show up early. Riko's been drilling all morning and Kiyoshi's on bedrest, so here we are."

"Bedrest? What happened?"

Himuro shrugs, gesturing for Kagami to answer.

"Something with his legs, I think? Riko didn't say, and neither did her dad."

Kuroko gives a thoughtful hum in lieu of an answer. He'll have to stop by some time to check in, see how Kiyoshi's ribbons are. It's been a few days, surely Kiyoshi hadn't wrecked them in that time. Riko wouldn't let him overexert himself, Kuroko knows she wouldn't. Kiyoshi's a good liar though, he can only imagine RIko's reaction when she found out.

"Well then, at least he's okay."

Kuroko stands, hefting the stool over the counter so Kagami can sit down. Himuro leans with his back to the counter, keeping up a simple conversation between the three of them.

It's strangely nice to have the two of them around. Kuroko's still working out if it's because they're just nice people or if their ribbons are appealing. He figures it might be a mixture of both, as the two often go hand in hand.

Kagami's ribbons fill a lot of the shop, winding between shelves and through the trinkets hanging from the ceiling.

They talk about Kagami's recovery, the goings on at the castle, Himuro's plan to return home once Kagami heals completely, and Kuroko answers questions about the shop.

It's strange, he figures that Kagami must have lived outside the castle city, in a surrounding farm village, because he's never seen him before. He knows that Himuro lives in another kingdom, and the Kagami's parents are merchants, maybe he traveled with them? He's a rookie knight, straight out of training, so Kuroko wouldn't have crossed paths with him at all. His only trips to the castle sent him to Riko and Kiyoshi, and he never went to the training fields with them. There's also the question of where he lives now. Kuroko was under the impression that Himuro's been staying at Kagami's house since the latter woke up. He couldn't be far then, so he would have to be within the castle city limits.

Kuroko's just curious enough to voice this, the questions needling at his head.

Kagami and Himuro share a look for a moment before the former speaks up.

"I live in a village a couple dozen miles out," Kagami says, "but I've been staying with my mentor since I came here. She trained the both of us, actually."

As far as he knows, Kagami didn't have any other visitors when he was unconscious, wouldn't this mentor have come to see him? Kagetora would have said something. If the mentor came, they would have had a name for him, and Kuroko hadn't seen anything in Kagami's memories that would indicate a mentor. That only gives more questions than answers, but Kuroko isn't willing to press further.

Riko arrives when the shop hits a long lull of emptiness. Momoi's finished with her clients by that time so she closes the shop and gets everyone settled outside.

It's nice, being back to this sort of work.

He has one of Momoi's ribbons around his wrist, one of Riko's too. Kagami's ribbons spread out in the open air, twisting and gliding and melding. Himuro's stay close to his body, their translucent nature causing them to shimmer in the sunlight.

Odd.

Kuroko finds his thoughts drifting to the momentary break in Kise's ribbons, a matter he hasn't let himself dwell on since they returned. There had been nothing helpful in the book, not that he could tell anyhow, and he'd started driving himself mad when he sat down to puzzle it out initially.

He's analyzed the memory, the words they exchanged, Kise's body language, the scant few visual clues Kuroko could glean from the ribbons, he couldn't make sense of any of it, still can't. He supposes though, if anyone's ribbons were to right themselves first, it would be Kise's. His high compatibility with Empaths might make the change back easier. Kuroko's still not sure how it all works out. Regardless of what he's been telling himself, it's possible to break the grey. It was just for a moment, but that aching chasm inside him had vanished, replaced with the sunlight warmth he'd grown accustomed to from Kise's ribbons.

Just a moment, that's all it was.

But it's possible, and he just has to figure out how to do it intentionally and permanently. He'll have to read the book again, pick apart the pieces until he finds an answer.

Kuroko rubs his hands up and down his face, trying to bring himself back to focus.

Kagami's ribbons seem to be doing fine and they keep a small humming as Riko works him. Gone are the deep set streaks of grey, the amount of roses means his pain and strain are minimal. He's recovering much faster than Kuroko thought possible. What should have been months of recovery has been slashed down to a fraction. There's certainly an element of magic, the combination of Momoi and Kagetora, plus the added bonus of Riko's regimens, accelerated the process. BUt this is unprecedented.

Kuroko follows one of Kagami's ribbons to where it melds with Himuro's.

He's never seen translucent ribbons before. The closest he's seen is his own standard manifestation, which is simply grey, though its appearance can appear ever shifting at times. He doesn't like experimenting with other people's ribbons for fun, but there's a curiosity burning to life, one that doesn't ignite all that often. He knows Himuro's not an Empath, the book made it clear that Empath's don't have ribbons, but this is new.

He catches hold of one of Himuro's ribbons, they'd brushed against him before but this is the first active contact they've had. The moment that the ribbon is within his grasp, small multicolor bursts erupt where he's touching it. They bleed out a short ways, but don't develop into streaks. Kuroko focuses on various emotions, exercising a gentler touch than he normally would when introducing colors, even so, it's more difficult to push the colors past where he's touching.

It's strange.

Himuro doesn't have the same compatibility that Kise does, that's not what this is. There's an immediate acceptance of Empath access, but it's almost like Himuro's ribbons dilute whatever emotion is introduced. If Kuroko wanted to, he could turn the ribbons whatever emotion he wanted, but it would take more than a simple thought.

He needs to know more.

When the finish for the day, Himuro and Riko end up talking to Momoi for a little while longer, and it seems Kagami takes this moment to make his way to Kuroko.

The two of them haven't necessarily conversed in depth yet, and there's really no reason for that, just that it hasn't happened. A sneaking voice in the back of his head whispers that it's because he's more wary than ever about getting involved with ribbons.

Momoi is enough for now, and temporary exposure to others is fine. He's fine.

"Thank you for this," Kagami says, awkwardly shifting his crutches so he can join Kuroko on the ground. "I know Tatsuya's already said so, but I haven't yet."

"Of course, you were more receptive to my abilities than the others. I'm glad it worked."

"So, are you a magic user too? You have to be, you went into my head. Riko said you're highly specialized."

Kuroko arches a brow at that. Riko introduced him as an Empath when Kagami first woke up. It's never been mentioned again, so had he forgotten? That's concerning if he has. Most people assume, given his affiliation with the Baron and the local witch, that he's some kind of wizard, or that he has another kind of magical inclination. That Kagami hasn't been reminded isn't all that surprising. It's not something Kuroko runs around declaring, if Kagami's forgotten then Kuroko won't remind him.

He will, however, let Riko know.

"She's not wrong," Kuroko says after a moment. "I just brought your emotions to the forefront of your mind, made them more powerful. I didn't really _go_ _into_ your head, though I guess you could say that if you really wanted to."

"Oh, you're an Empath?"

Kuroko freezes immediately, his toying with Momio's ribbons ceasing immediately.

Empath's are public knowledge to a degree, but there are plenty of magic users with the capability to do what he described. So, Either Kagami just now remembered, or he has prior knowledge of Empaths, which is hard to believe. There's nothing deceitful about the state of Kagami's ribbons though.

Kuroko's not sure what to think. The most likely possibility is that Kagami simply forgot, he'd just woken up from a comatose state, that day was probably hazy. Kuroko's panicking over nothing.

"I am, yes. If you don't mind my asking, how-"

"Oh, Tatsuya's mom's an Empath. Well, she was b- She used to do this thing, whenever we got hurt, she'd bring up happy memories to block out the pain."

Oh. Now this, this presents opportunity.

"Then, is Himuro one as well?"

Neither of Kuroko's own parents are Empaths, so he doesn't think it's an inherited skill, not like Momoi's magic. He knows Himuro's not an Empath, not if he has ribbons, but maybe he's some kind of hybrid. It's unlikely, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

"No, he's not. That's cool though, I've never met another Empath, Tatsuya's mom always said it was rare."

"It is, rarer than normal magic users anyway."

"How does it work?" Kagami asks after a moment.

Riko seems to have taken the time to go with Momoi to the shop, likely placing another order. Himuro's aware of Kuroko and Kagami, his ribbons drifting towards them, but he's giving them space. He wanders to the edge of the river, sitting down and sticking his feet in the water.

"Hm?"

"Like, what do you do when we do this?" He gestures vaguely around them, obviously struggling for words.

"I just monitor," Kuroko says. "People can power through what their body is capable of and not say anything, which just makes it worse. I can tell when you're at your limit, that's why I'm the one calling breaks and not Riko. If you can keep going without detriment, I allow you to do so with a little help."

"So where am I at right now?"

Kuroko finally turns to look at Kagami directly, somewhat taken about by the other's expression.

He sees that expression whenever Momoi performs parlor tricks for the children who visit the shop.

After a moment, Kuroko spares a glance to the ribbons.

They're healthy, streaked only lightly in grey, but that's to be expected. They're shimmering, quite a few drifting over to latch onto Kuroko.

"You're where I expect you to be, recovering well, a little tired," Kuroko says simply.

Kagami looks as though he wants to press further but he only shrugs after a moment.

"Riko says you were a knight. You don't look like- I didn't know magic users could be knights."

"I wasn't an active combatant."

Kuroko knows from the ribbons that Kagami doesn't mean anything by his comment, Kuroko knows he doesn't exactly strike an intimidating silhouette.

"Then what did you do?"

He's spared having to answer as Riko's voice rings from the shop.

Himuro hurries over to help Kagami up, and Kuroko makes his way toward Momoi and Riko.

"He look okay?" Riko asks.

"Yes, though I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Has he been forgetting things? He forgot that I was an Empath, and I'm not sure if there was some kind of damage that I missed."

"Oh, dad says it's nothing to worry about, his memory of when he woke up and the few days after is dodgy, he was in and out for a while so it's all a blur for him. I didn't think to remind him of you being an Empath."

"Right, if you're sure."

"I wonder if I could ask you a favor though?"

"Of course."

"Come by some time soon to check on Kiyoshi. He won't believe me when I tell him he needs bedrest, but he'll listen to you, he can't lie to you, so he knows he won't win."

"I can come tomorrow evening, I think. I was planning on doing so anyway, Kagami told me about the bedrest when they got here."

Riko nods, running a hand through her hair.

She leaves the shop with Himuro and Kagami shortly after and Kuroko finds himself staring after them.

"What's on your mind?" Momoi comes up behind him, draping herself over his shoulders.

"Himuro's mother is an Empath," he says without thinking.

"Well then."

Momoi gets him back inside and gives a curious glance to the parcels on the counter.

"What are these?"

"Hm? Oh, Takao brought them by earlier. The smaller ones are from your supplier, I don't know about the big one. Takao says it's from another kingdom, but that Akashi sent it here. I've had a strange feeling about it since it arrived."

"Shall we open it together then?"

Kuroko shrugs, taking a seat on the stool while Momoi moves her apron off the box. She tears away the paper and Kuroko starts fidgeting with one of her ribbons to keep himself calm.

"Is this for you or me?" Momoi asks, tearing away the last of the paper. It reveals a box, as Kuroko had thought, but it's much nicer than an ordinary package crate. Dark wood, smooth and gleaming slightly in the soft light of the shop. A simple, golden latch keeps it closed, a symbol from a kingdom to the north that Kuroko can barely remember is etched into the lid.

"I'm not sure."

"Let's find out then."

Momoi opens the lid and Kuroko can't quite see inside, but he watches Momoi's ribbons flare up, bolts of gold streak through in an instant before vanishing.

"It's for you," she says after a moment, turning the open box to face him.

The inside is lined with soft blue, and there's a glow of the same color that's just barely visible.

Kuroko moves closer, propping himself up on the counter so he can see, and is promptly thrown deep into his own head.

It was years ago, a small mission, just Midorima, Aomine, Kise, and himself. He and Midorima were looking into a tunnel that ran through part of the town they were investigating, said to exit within the forest. There was an ambush, Midorima is a long distance fighter and Kuroko isn't one for combat in general. They'd managed however, Kuroko incapacitating their attackers through the ribbons long enough for Midorima to finish them off.

At that time however, Kuroko had a physical weapon, a gift that was more for his teammate's peace of mind than anything else. Kuroko and Momoi had spent some time toying with it, imbuing it with magical properties. Through a bout of genius and luck, they'd turned it into something of a wand, a weapon and tool capable of amplifying Kuroko's abilities. When he used it in tandem with his Empath skills, he could transfer more potent emotions, and it expanded his reach as well. He'd lost it in that tunnel though. They'd been surrounded and in the panic, with adrenaline running high, his heart beat in his ears, Kuroko had dropped the dagger.

And somehow, it sits before him, shining as though it's just been cleaned, looking every bit as beautiful as it had the day Akashi presented it to him. Aomine had made the blade actually, Akashi adding final touches before Kuroko received it. They'd never replaced it, Kuroko asked them not to. It had served him well when he had it, but he found that it was easier for him to focus on his abilities if it was just him, no secondary body. Momoi had made him a necklace charm, an amplifier, to make up for the lost bit of power and eventually, they stopped trying to press a new weapon on him.

With a shaking hand, Kuroko lifts the sheathed dagger from the box.

It's been far too long, and he's out of practice, but it sits comfortably in his hand. After a moment, he removes the scabbard. He curls his fingers tight around the handle, moving it through the air in simple motions, the world bleeding away from him in this moment.

How had they found it? _Who_ found it? It's been years, and it looks pristine. He knows magic helps preserve weapons to a degree, but this is ludicrous. There's no way that this is the same blade.

Kuroko turns it over in his hand, looking for any nuanced differences between this blade and his first.

There are none.

He closes his eyes, manifesting just enough to activate the magic Momoi put into the dagger.

There's a slight delay, and Kuroko almost drops the dagger back in the box, but it clicks. Something like a wave pulses out from Kuroko's core, and he takes a step back as he feels his senses expand. His reach is large enough as is but it swells now, just brushing the edge of town. He stops manifesting immediately, but keeps the dagger in hand.

"Is it the same?"

Momoi's voice cuts through it all and Kuroko looks up to see her ribbons snapping anxiously about her. Upon gaining his attention, a number of them loop around his wrists.

Kuroko doesn't trust himself to speak so he nods.

Momoi's concern would be palpable even to non-Empaths. She takes a step closer to place her hands on Kuroko's shoulders, when they make contact, her ribbons flare and some of her color bleeds into Kuroko, beating some of his nerves away.

"You okay?"

"Just confused," he manages to choke out.

"I think it's a peace offering," Momoi says, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just think about it."

* * *

Here we are, finally back! The plot will be kicking up from here, hopefully, things are gonna start stringing together. I've gotten some questions about Kagami and his role in the story, he's gonna start showing up more, but this is more a GoM centered story, so keep that in mind.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for being patient, let me know what you think if you don't mind!


	10. Chapter 10

My apologies, would have been up earlier but I had a migraine and couldn't look at my computer screen. Regardless, here's chapter ten!

* * *

Kuroko stays in his room, clutching the sheathed dagger to his chest. The power still pulses within it, a steady rhythm that used to be familiar. He's not sure what to think of it, not sure what he _should_ think of it.

It's night out, the moonlight shining through the shutters on the window.

He removes the dagger from the scabbard and holds the blade toward the moonbeams, watching as the metal glows a faint blue, the runes inscribed on the hilt grow warm. He knows for a fact he can't throw it anymore, it had been hard enough learning how to do so in the first place, let alone relearning after a number of years. That being said, he reckons he could still wield it well enough to stab somebody.

Not that he would in any case.

Kuroko sheathes the dagger and places it back in the box. He moves it to the desk and hesitates before leaving it unlatched. It's not sentient, it's not going to attack him in his sleep, so why does it unnerve him?

From a small tray at the window, he picks up a glass vial about the size of his index finger. Inside is a slightly glowing plant, red, but shaped like a blade of grass. It's submerged in blue liquid and surrounded by bubbles. He shakes it a little, and keeps it in hand as he gets into bed.

He burrows under his blanket, tugging it tight around him, attempting to sort his thoughts. He still doesn't know what purpose this serves. Momoi suggested that it might be a peace offering, he's not so sure.

Knowing Akashi, it's a calculated move in a master plan that nobody is privy to. The question remains, to what end is this meant to guide him toward? Kuroko's made it abundantly clear that he won't be joining them again. He'd spoken with Akashi, in the wake of that day, he'd had to. He told Akashi his intentions and after nearly an hour and a half of tense conversation, Akashi agreed to let him go.

So what in the hell is he trying to accomplish by sending for the dagger?

Akashi knows that Kuroko can't be bribed, that he's not susceptible to such tactics. Gifts do nothing to sway his feelings, he can't be bought. Then again, this is a sentimental item more than anything else, a source of nostalgia. If so, then the most it can be is just a gesture. The last loose end from Kuroko's time with the Miracle Knights, now tied up and dealt with.

He's not as optimistic as Momoi, maybe he used to be but not anymore.

The dagger can't be a peace offering because none of them understand what truly happened. Maybe Akashi just has a different idea in his head. It's not like Kuroko can give the dagger back, Momoi would have his head, and besides, it's nice to have it back.

Even if for purely nostalgic reasons.

The vial is one of Momoi's less surefire creations, it doesn't always work so its success rate is abysmal. Most nights he won't bother with it, but it's worth a try tonight. The charms he has hanging are only meant to put him into a restful sleep. They work more often than not, and usually put him in such a deep sleep that he's unaffected by dreams.

The contents of the vial are meant to banish dreams entirely, nullifying all other factors.

 _They're making good progress, but even with the light from one of Momoi's marbles, they're still stumbling in the dark._

 _"Do you think this will actually lead out where it's supposed to?" Kuroko asks._

 _"There's only one way to find out," Midorima says. "Besides the point, they have no reason to lie, and you would have known if they were. I don't think we have reason to worry."_

 _A flicker of ribbons from above makes Kuroko pause a moment. There have been a few passes. His sense of direction is terrible, but Midorima had mentioned they'd be passing underneath a main road. Ribbons from both humans and animals had passed overhead. They don't breach through the earth but he can sense them all the same._

 _Midorima has his weapon at the ready, and Kuroko would be using his dagger but they're still too close to the town so the amplification is doing more harm than good at the moment. Instead he has one of Momoi's blades, a simple knife with no special properties. Aomine and Kise taught him the basics, but he doesn't think he'll need to use it on this leg of their mission._

 _"Anything?" Midorima asks._

 _Kuroko closes his eyes and tries to focus, searching the area for their target._

 _"Not yet, lots of animals though," he says after a moment, "I think we're out of town."_

 _They continue walking and something grows fuzzy at the back of Kuroko's mind. He's not one to put aside his instincts so he reaches for Midorima to stop him._

 _An arrow, invisible until it meets the light from the marble, hits with a dull thud and Kuroko stares at the sharp head jutting through his shoulder._

 _Ignoring the pain, he unsheathes his dagger, his reach swelling and allowing him to sense the ribbons of a couple dozen people on either end of the tunnel. He extinguishes the marble and pulls Midorima against the wall._

 _"Ambush," he says. "They were outside my range before, what do we do?" There's enough adrenaline in his system that he's not taking notice of the pain, not looking at the arrow is helping._

 _But they're in a tight spot, Midorima isn't a close combat fighter, and Kuroko's not a fighter at all, the most he can do is provide support, but they don't have any of their other teammates with them._

 _Midorima's ribbons are agitated, snapping about his body in the way that they do when he's uncomfortable. Some of them latch onto Kuroko and he introduces a few strains into them to calm Midorima down._

 _"Are they converging?" Midorima asks._

 _"Yes." It's always strange, being able to sense a body but not hear or see it. It's something he's had to get used to, but it's especially difficult with his newfound reach._

 _"Okay, this tunnel is narrow enough that they won't be able to get at us all at once. Is there anything you can do as an Empath to slow them down?"_

 _"I can make them sluggish, not all of them, but enough I think."_

 _Now they can hear the heavy clatter of running footsteps, the ribbons drawing closer and closer._

 _"You'll still have to use your dagger," Midorima says. "This won't be a very good fight, but we've never lost before."_

 _Midorima hauls him to his feet and Kuroko adjusts his grip on the dagger, already reaching out for the opposing ribbons. He tries to gather more on Midorima's side, knowing that if Midorima incapacitates those attacking him first, he can help Kuroko._

 _The approaching ribbons don't seem all that special, the regular haze of battle rage stains about half of them, while the other half are perfectly calm, practiced individuals most likely. They'll have time to piece it all together when they're through this._

 _He hears Midorima take a breath, trading his bow for a longsword. His ribbons glow, illuminating the narrow space around them, they turn shimmery and nearly all of them latch onto Kuroko._

 _By the time the first attackers meet them, Kuroko's sapped as much of their energy as he can without losing focus. He brings the dagger in a downward slash, grey and blue energy gathering at the blade. It cuts into the first person, and the magic strikes through him, hitting the next man behind him._

 _It's after the third cut of a blade across his skin that Kuroko, his heart beat in his ears, holds his hands out and emits a wave of energy, attempting to turn the ribbons a sluggish grey. These ribbons are hostile to him so it takes a bit more energy to wrangle them into submission. A good portion of the attackers drop, their legs giving out beneath them. The rest of them drop their weapons, too weak to keep them up._

 _There's a rumble overhead and Kuroko barely has any time to register it before Midorima latches onto his arm and starts running._

 _Then they're just running, Kuroko can't feel his body, he can just feel the panic in Midorima's ribbons and the sudden boom in roses from behind them. Something shoots through his chest but when he looks down there's nothing there._

 _His vision whites out and-_

Kuroko is out of bed in the time it takes to breathe, the vial rolling onto the floor but staying intact. He takes the few steps to the box on his desk and latches it shut.

He stands there a moment, one hand still on the lid, one at his chest as he breathes too fast and too shallow.

Damn it.

* * *

Kuroko shoulders his bag and laces his boots, taking the time to at least try and brush his hair out. It's fairly early, the sun only just rising, so ribbon activity in the surrounding area is muted. He makes his way downstairs, fiddling with the latches on his pack.

Momoi's already awake, apparently has been for a while if the stack of sketches littering the counter is anything to go by. He brews her a cup of coffee, setting it beside her along with a note. He sets some coin on the counter as well, a neat stack. She makes no notice of him, too focused on the task at hand.

Her ribbons curled around his wrist for a few moments before letting go though.

On his way to the door, Kuroko plucks a few charms from the various bins, and one small vial of light green liquid that seems to glow just a touch all on its own. He puts the items into his pockets, takes his cloak from the stand, and closes the door behind him.

He told Riko he'd stop by in the evening, but there are other things he has to accomplish today.

Few people are up and around, most of them are shop keepers setting up for the day. A courier rides by on a horse, a number of satchels filled with letters, and he starts to make his rounds.

If it stayed like this forever, Kuroko wouldn't mind living so close to town. The ribbons would be everywhere and all around him, too much buzzing, too much color, too much. But it's nice now. A soft hum in the air, a few colors, most of the ribbons are lazy with sleep, and they drift around as they wish.

He touches the ribbons of the gate guards, drawing their attention to him as he doesn't have his bells. They wave him through without a word and he makes his way to the kitchen.

He has every intention of seeing Kiyoshi but there are things he has to do first.

The ribbons in the kitchen are busier than anywhere else, and for good reason. It only takes a few minutes to locate one of the less busy bakers and trade the few charms and vial from the shop for a wrapped bundle of baked goods that he carefully settles in his nearly empty pack. It's not Murasakibara's baking, but it should appease his craving for castle food, at least for a while.

With his errand done, Kuroko begins his walk to the infirmary, working his way through a small cake loaf on the way.

Kiyoshi has his own home, but he lives alone. If he's on bedrest however, Riko would have never let him off the castle grounds.

The infirmary is quiet, Kiyoshi's ribbons are there, and there are a few sleeping sets as well, but no one that Kuroko immediately recognizes. He pushes open the door, scanning the beds to see who's been keeping Kiyoshi company.

There's three of them, two of which seem to have some kind of sickness, if the curtained quarantine is anything to judge by. The third is in a fitful sleep, his bandaged torso the most likely source of his unrest.

Kiyoshi is awake, sitting up with a blanket covering his legs. He's reading but looks up when the door shuts behind Kuroko. His eyes wander and Kuroko takes hold of one of his ribbons, holding back a grimace when he sees the state of them.

Normally, Kiyoshi's ribbons are a dull pink mottled with grey, small roses swirling through them, fairly active, and perfectly solid. They look ragged now, and they'd be grey if it weren't for all the roses. Kuroko fiddles with a few of them, introducing a few streaks of gold and some others in an attempt to mellow out the pain.

"Oh, Kuroko, Riko said you might stop by sometime, though I thought it would be later."

"You're awake, aren't you?" Kuroko sits on the cot, making sure to avoid Kiyoshi's legs. He sets his bag down at the foot before breaking the cake loaf in half and offering the untouched portion to Kiyoshi.

"Fair enough," he says with a smile. "Thank you."

They take a few minutes to finish up the cake loaf, enjoying the quiet before Kuroko speaks up.

"What did you do?" he asks, eyes still fixed on Kiyoshi's ribbons.

"Pardon?"

"Your legs."

What slivers of pink that were in the ribbons are gone now, replaced by sullen patches of blue, despite the smile on Kiyoshi's face.

"Oh."

Kuroko waits, not wanting to rush anything but desperately concerned. He's seen ragged ribbons enough times to know that Kiyoshi has to be filled to bursting with some kind of emotional turmoil. It's not surprising, actually, Kiyoshi is one of many that Kuroko knows who pushes down his emotions in favor of presenting a much better face.

It's commendable, and Kuroko is in no position to judge, but even he has a good cry every now and again.

"Ah, well," Kiyoshi starts, chewing his bottom lip for a moment before continuing, "I, uh, it's my own fault really. I know my limits, but I thought, maybe, that I could push them. Turns out, I pushed them too far. I think I scared Riko a little, she found me on the training grounds, I couldn't support my own weight so she had to half drag me. I've been here ever since because she won't let me go home."

"For good reason," Kuroko says, "you're a mess."

"It hurts," Kiyoshi says with a laugh, "I'll admit that much."

More than that, Kuroko has the sneaking commission that Kiyoshi will be out of commission for good. This is beyond him, beyond Momoi and Riko even. He's no healer, though he desperately wishes they had one this side of the mountains, but if the roses are anything to go by, they'll be lucky if Kiyoshi will be able to walk by himself.

Without a word, Kuroko flips the blanket to see one of Kiyoshi's legs.

He can only stare.

It's only been a few days, from what he can gather, but the bruises are still startling. Kiyoshi's knee is a mess of color, not a stretch of unblemished skin in the area.

"Oh, uh, it's not as bad as it looks," Kiyoshi tries.

"Beg to differ," Kuroko says, putting the blanket back in place. "I'll ask Momoi to make you something strong, at least so you can manage this."

Something flickers across Kiyoshi's face and he seems to melt into the pillows propping him up for a moment, tension seeping out of his body. There's an understanding about him, like maybe he's been expecting the worst scenario and now it's arrived.

"Thank you," he says after a minute or so.

"Of course, it's the least I can do." Kuroko keeps a steady connection with Kiyoshi's ribbons. There's not much he can do to alleviate the pain, but he can maybe push it aside for a little while, make it a second thought.

"Can I ask a favor?"

"You can."

"Don't tell Riko?"

"I don't think-"

"I want to tell her myself. I'll tell her and then we'll go from there, see what we can do. This is a 'one battle at a time' situation, I think."

On of the ribbons loops around Kuroko's bicep, another rests on his shoulder.

"Right. Contact me when you see fit. We're taking a craft day tomorrow, I'll see if I can't get something sent down by then."

They say their goodbyes and Kuroko stops just outside the infirmary doors.

He makes his way back into town and readies himself. Most of his interaction comes in the form of working the counter at the shop, he's not fond of conversing with strangers, for many reasons actually.

He doesn't bother entering any establishments just asks passersby if they've seen a soldier from another kingdom wandering about, possibly with a tall, red haired man on crutches. It takes about an hour but he finally finds someone who points him in the direction of a leatherworking and armor repair shop.

It's not far, but it's just outside of his reach.

There's no signage on the building but it's well kept, and it looks to have a living space adjoined to it. The doors are opened and Kuroko can sense Himuro and Kagami's ribbons inside, the both of them still asleep. The third set of ribbons, Kuroko figures, belongs to the mentor they mentioned.

He sees her soon enough, a blond woman currently going through a log book, glasses on the edge of her nose as she reads. Her ribbons aren't anything out of the ordinary, strong though, and filling a good portion of the front shop. This area looks to be more of the leatherworking area while an off hallway leads to a smithy.

"Can I help you?" the woman asks after he's touched her ribbons to make his presence known. She stays seated but closes her log book, folding her arms atop it.

"I was told Himuro Tatsuya was staying here, is that correct?" Of course it is, he can sense the man but he has manners.

"Has he done something?"

"Uh, no, ma'am. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, I'm the one who woke Kagami. I just have a few things I'd like to discuss with Himuro. I understand that it's early but if you could pass a message to him to come see me at his convenience, that would be greatly appreciated."

The woman scans him up and down, there's no malice in her ribbons, she seems quite amiable actuallly but there's a thrumming undercurrent of intense curiosity that makes Kuroko want to take a step back.

"Kuroko? Taiga's mentioned you, told me you're a knight," she says. She stands up and makes her way to Kuroko, setting her hands on his shoulders. Her ribbons flare at the contact and she smiles. "Thank you for bringing him back."

She pulls back, squeezing his shoulders once before crossing her arms.

"You can call me Alex," she says, "I trained Taiga before he joined the army. In any case, I can go wake Tatsuya if this is an urgent matter."

"It's not, but I'd like to see him before the end of the day if possible. He'll know where to find me."

He hopes so anyway, it's not like he goes many places, and he trusts that Himuro is smart enough to look for him at the shop.

"Cryptic," Alex says, laughing a little, "I like it. Okay then, I'll let him know."

"Thank you, I'll take my leave now, have a good morning."

"And you as well, Kuroko."

The town is alive by this point, bustling and busy, ribbons wavering and drifting, a few latching onto him for a few moments as he passes by. While he's here though, he may as well do some shopping.

He stops by a bookstore he used to frequent with Midorima and finds a book about magical plants. It's a good find, legitimate from what he can make out, maybe it'll help him understand some of what Momoi does. He stops by a few other shops, picking up ink, parchment, wine, thread, and leather strips, opting to carry all of it rather than remove his traded baked goods from his bag.

The shops is open, though devoid of customers, when he arrives.

"Kuroko?" Momoi pokes her head out from the kitchen and gives him a smile. "You're back. How is he?"

Kuroko sets his purchases on the small table before emptying his bag.

"It's not good. He'll be lucky if you can stay upright on his own."

Momoi doesn't question the baked goods, just cuts into a bread loaf after setting a cup of coffee in front of Kuroko.

"How's he taking it?"

"He's Kiyoshi."

Momoi sits down across from him, a dry chuckle slipping past her lips.

"And Riko doesn't know yet?"

"I'm sure she suspects, or at least knows it's a possibility. Which reminds me, I told Kiyoshi I'd ask you to brew something for the pain, something stronger than usual."

"Of course, I can start it tonight."

The shop's already been prepared for the day so Kuroko downs a pick me up and unwraps the book from the rough packaging. Momoi browses up and down the isles, minor spells at her fingers to make something a touch more visibly appealing. Showmanship is everything, after all, Momoi wants her shop to be enticing.

There aren't too many customers, though a traveling party from the other side of the mountains passes through, apparently pointed their way by a border keeper. Momoi keeps their attention, bargaining in a way that some might considered underhanded. She's a business woman, she knows what she's doing, and it's not like she's malicious in her intent. She has skills aside from magic, almost parallel to Kuroko in her ability to read people. She can tell what they want, what they need, and can lead them there should she choose to.

He's never judged her for it before, he's not going to start now.

Kuroko gets a few chapters into the plant book when he picks up on Kise and Aomine's ribbons. They're more likely to come to the shop than the others. When not practicing, Midorima is doing record and archival work, while Murasakibara is with Akashi as the latter goes about his duties as the Baron. Kise and Aomine have no secondary title, so they're more or less free to go about as they wish. They outclass other knights in combat so there's no point in their participation at drill times.

The bell rings and Kuroko places a bookmark between the pages, setting the book to his side as Aomine and Kise approach.

"Hello, you two!" Momoi calls from the tapestry wall, magic clinging to her fingers as she touches up the enchantments.

"Hey, Satsuki." Aomine gives Kuroko a glance before moving to talk with Momoi, leaving Kise at the counter with Kuroko.

Kuroko steals himself, there's no calming draught readily available, and with both of them in the shop he's already a little nauseous.

"I heard Kiyoshi's in the infirmary," Kise says in a mock whisper.

"He is."

"Did something happen?"

"He ruined his legs," Kuroko says flatly, meeting Kise's gaze.

"Oh," he says, "that's- uh, that's awful. Any chance he'll pull through okay?"

Kise is very obviously avoiding meeting Kuroko's gaze but Kuroko doesn't waver.

"It's not likely that he will."

Kise hadn't been limping when he came in, and Kuroko can't make out any roses beneath the grey lock. However, limping can be easy to hide if it's light enough, and Kise knows as well as Kuroko that if Momoi sees him limping she'll know how serious it is. Kuroko's not sure if the condition of her ring has worsened, he assumes she would have said something if it had.

But it's still work worrying about.

"I'm okay," Kise says, a real whisper this time. "Swear it, it was just swollen this morning, that's all."

Kuroko hates not being able to tell when people are lying. As an Empath, he's generally exempt from wondering, he _know_ s, and right now he doesn't. He looks for physical tells, _anything_. Kise has a bright, sometimes airheaded, personality but he uses it to hide the rest of them. There's a reason Akashi chose him. Kise can run with the best of them, can lie and cheat and terrify.

And Kuroko doesn't _know_ what Kise's feeling right now.

Before he can say anything about it, Momoi and Aomine come up to the counter. Momoi's ribbons haven't changed, nothing to indicate worry or apprehension.

Kuroko folds his arms on the counter and waits for either one of them to speak.

"Satsuki said you got the dagger," Aomine says. His tone is light, nothing like the strained mess it is usually. That's good.

Kuroko thinks to his dream, and gives thanks for the fact that his Empath abilities have made him a good liar.

"I did, yes, it was unexpected, but appreciated nevertheless. Thank you." He directs his thanks to the both of them, Aomine just smiles and Kise shrugs.

"We were worried you wouldn't like it," Kise says.

It was an awful lot of trouble to get it, all on the chance that he might not reject it. How strange.

Kuroko watches the three of them talk for a little while, staring at their ribbons and trying to trick himself into believing that the grey lock is lighter than it was when he last saw them.

Kise and Aomine end up going outside to spar, the original intent of their visit apparently. Momoi leans across the counter as they go, most of her ribbons coming to loop around Kuroko's arms and one of them settles atop his head.

She gives a little sigh and smiles at him.

"You okay?" she asks.

"More or less. I don't think they'll be going away any time soon, I'm trying to be okay with everything."

"That's all I ask." She leans close enough to kiss his cheek before smoothing his hair down. "Man the shop for a moment? I have to spell the ground out there so they don't set it aflame."

"Of course."

She goes and, one by one, her ribbons unwind from him. He latches onto one of them, for just a moment, simply to remind himself that he can, then lets it go.

No customers arrive while Momoi's out, but Kuroko can sense Himuro's ribbons on the edges of his reach, moving at a pace that suggests he's walking. Kagami's with him as well, and it seems as though they've brought Alex along too.

He can't remember ever seeing Alex before. It's possible that she's never been to the shop. Before he started staying with Momoi, he rarely strayed from the castle. Sure, he'd go to town with Midorima for books, or Kise would drag him to the merchant's fair, but he never risked getting lost by going out on his own. There was never a point in going to a shop for leather work or armor repair. There was someone at the castle for the former, and they had Aomine for the latter. Some people don't come to the shop because they don't trust magic, or they believe it's a scam.

To be honest, Kuroko is fairly sure that Momoi is the only witch to commercialize magic. The few others that Kuroko has met keep their trade very close to the chest. They enchant objects for specialized fighters, or work under their ruler directly. All the same, Momoi doesn't offer up serious magical items for sale. Those she reserves for those close to her, or simply for personal use.

She's not a conventional witch by any means, but that doesn't mean she's a bad one either.

The bell rings and Kuroko can hear voices now.

Alex's ribbons cling close to her body but one drifts over to Kuroko. Their base is a light blue, speckled in caution, an edge of tension thrumming through them. He holds onto it, introducing a touch of calm that races back to spread to the other ribbons.

Kuroko shakes his bells a little.

"Hey, Kuroko!" Kagami calls, coming into full view.

His ribbons seem better than the day before, not so many roses, and he seems as high energy as ever. Himuro's ribbons hold a similar edge of tension, likely because of his cryptic summoning.

"Hello," Kuroko says.

Alex lets out a whistle, eyes drifting around the shop.

"Lived in this place my whole life," she says, "and I've never come to this shop. Tatsuya told me where you lived, I thought he was joking. Taiga said you're a knight, and you work with the witch. I didn't have you pegged for Miracle Knight material."

Kuroko shrugs.

"I'm retired," he says simply.

"Where is Momoi, by the way?" Kagami asks. "Could I talk to her while you talk with Tatsuya?"

"She's outside, in the back. Aomine and Kise are training back there, so be careful."

Kagami lights up, likely at the idea of seeing two Miracle Knights in combat with each other. Alex goes with him, and Kuroko keeps one of each of their ribbons with him, just in case.

"So you wanted to speak with me?"

"It's nothing egregious, I just have a few questions."

"I suppose answering is the least I could do then."

"Kagami mentioned that your mother is an Empath. As you know, I am one as well, but there aren't many of us so I didn't exactly have an instructor. I was hoping you could enlighten me, share anything your mother may have mentioned."

Himuro drums his fingers against the counter and blows some of his hair out of his face.

"Well, that's certainly not what I was expecting."

"If you can't think of anything, I understand and I apologize for bringing you out here for nothing."

"No, no, that's not it. I'm not sure what I can tell you, I spent more time with Alex, come to think of it. Hmm."

Kuroko lets him think, monitoring his ribbons but not seeing any indication of Himuro being uncomfortable.

"I figure you know this already but she always knew when we were lying. Um, Taiga broke his arm once, she made it so he didn't feel any pain. Um, I'm not sure what else I can tell you."

"Did you ever see her in combat?"

"Once, yes. Someone broke into our house, I think. Mom was awake in an instant and she...killed him. I think she did anyway. She started glowing bright silver and gold and she threw her hand out, kind of like this." Himuro steps away from the counter and stands with his feet shoulder width apart. He raises one arm, palm out with his four fingers bent slightly, his thumb almost parallel to the ground. "Some of that light shot out toward the man and he just sort of dropped, I suppose. She never told me how she did it."

Kuroko worries his hands together, trying to piece together what he's just been told.

He's heard of mind control, that much he can understand. But outright killing somebody? He's only ever used gold to soothe pain, and he's still working out silver. There had been note of violent capabilities within his book but he doesn't think any of it lines up with what Himuro said.

"Is there anything else you can think of?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, some information is better than no information at all."

Kuroko eases back on his stool and sighs. It was worth a shot. He'll have to consult the book again, do some independent thinking. He shudders at the thought of practicing, how was such a technique developed in the first place? It's magic all the same, he supposes, there will always be someone to discover a dark purpose for it. Not to make a strike against Himuro's mother, but Kuroko has to wonder how and where she learned it.

"I have to stay here and man the shop, but please feel free to join the others outside."

Kuroko grabs hold of Himuro's ribbons, pushing away the unease and worry so that he's more agreeable to the suggestion.

It's not until Himuro is halfway out the door that Kuroko realizes what he'd just done. He lays his arms on the counter and drops his head.

* * *

That night, it's just the two of them. Momoi doesn't have her apron on, but she's wearing her goggles, several lenses magnifying her eyes to a nearly comical size. She's etching runes into a rod of metal. She hasn't said what it is but Kuroko's sitting beside her acting as an amplifier for the soft magic clinging to her fingers.

"Momoi, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" She's still working on the runes but her ribbons tell him that he has her attention.

"Could I have a piece of the stone you took from the cave?"

Momoi pauses her work a moment before continuing.

"If you need me to enchant something, I can do that," she says.

"That's not what I meant."

"So...you just want a piece of the stone?"

"Yes."

"Okay, uh, sure. How much do you need?"

"Not a lot, about the size of our tokens maybe."

"Oh, okay, let me finish this first, but I can do that."

"Thank you."

She continues her work for a moment but her ribbons are shaking slightly.

"Can I ask why?"

"Personal experiment," Kuroko says. "I just want to try something."

Momoi makes a little humming noise and etches another rune. He takes one of her ribbons, working away the worry.

"When we went to the cave, the stone had an effect on their ribbons, I just want to see if I can mimic that effect, maybe figure something out."

The worry vanishes from Momoi's ribbons, independent of Kuroko, and the pink glows brighter, the silver bleeding into it. Ribbons aside, Momoi is absolutely beaming.

"That's good, I'm glad." She takes off her goggles, setting the rod on a square of fabric. "Come on, let's do it now."

Kuroko stays put while Momoi digs around for the stones. She'd put them in a spelled leather pouch, settled amongst the other magically imbued stones she has at her disposal.

"What kind of effect did it have?" she asks. "I guess ,more importantly, what are you hope it will do?"

Kuroko bites his lip and leans against the table. He doesn't like keeping things from Momoi, but he doesn't want to get her hopes up if this fails.

"When we entered the cave, it changed their ribbons a little," he says. "I still couldn't interact with them, but they changed. That, combined with-"

Momoi looks up from the stone. A focused thread of magic is slowly dividing out a piece of the stone, a little larger than what Kuroko requested. The look on her face tells Kuroko that if he doesn't tell her, she won't stop pressing.

"Kise and I talked when we went to wash dishes that morning. The lock on his ribbons broke. Not permanently, but it was for a split second. I'm hoping the stone will let me recreate that, or at least make it easier to induce."

In a blink, Momoi has her arms around him, squeezing uncomfortably tight.

"Thank you," she says. "I hope it works."

Kuroko just hugs her back, allowing her ribbons to all but envelope him.

It will work, it has to.

* * *

A little all over the place but I hope you liked it, let me know what you think! Shit's going down next chapter, so I hope it's up to par.


	11. Chapter 11

"Everyone, listen up."

Kuroko's attention immediately shifts to Akashi's ribbons. They're as stable as ever, shining red and dark pink in the evening sun. There are little strains of grey, he probably hasn't been sleeping well these past few nights, but other than that they look perfectly fine. Murasakibara is with him, as always, and there's no change to his ribbons.

He takes a moment to rid Akashi's ribbons of the grey before paying attention to the announcement that will certainly be given in just a moment.

Midorima and Aomine immediately quiet down, the latter reaching down to haul Kuroko to his feet. When their hands connect, the world shades dark blue a moment, everything swimming as Aomine's ribbons almost appear white for how brightly they're shining.

"We'll be adding a new member," Akashi says. "Starting tomorrow, Kise Ryouta will be joining us. Kuroko, I want you to take some time with him, a few days, and report to me. I trust your judgement. Aomine, you're in charge of his training regimen, get him on par with our normal routines if he isn't already. You'll start once Kuroko is finished. Midorima, I need you to handle his records, get him officially added as a member of our team. Do you understand?"

Kise Ryouta?

He's a well accomplished soldier, though Kuroko has seen him running disciplinary laps more times than he cares to admit. That's not the memorable part though. Kise's ribbons are strange, Kuroko hasn't had too much contact with the man but he makes it a habit to know the capabilities of their military power.

Kise's ribbons are often bright and glowing, humming sometimes. They're yellow for the most part but they occasionally glow gold before appearing normal once more.

Kuroko doesn't mind learning more.

That next morning, Akashi brings Kise in to eat breakfast with them. Kuroko reaches for Kise's ribbons, partially to allow him to notice Kuroko and partially just to hold them. At his touch, they emit a high pitched whine and Kuroko has to fight the urge to flinch. When the sound goes away, there's something shifting beneath the surface of shining yellow.

"Kise Ryouta," Akashi says, "This is Aomine Daiki, he'll be working with you in regards to your battle capability. I believe you've met Murasakibara, he's my attendant, and this is Midorima Shintarou, he'll be handling your transfer. This is Kuroko Tetsuya, think of him as a mentor."

Kuroko holds his hand out to shake but Kise enthusiastically grabs his forearm.

With Aomine, the world was painted like the night sky. Murasakibara turned the world airy and weightless. Midorima ignited a vortex within a forest of deep green. Then, Akashi, the world was a beacon of fire and dancing lights of vibrant pink.

Upon physical contact with Kise, the whole room fades away, the space filled with shining light and softly falling golden sand. There's-

Kuroko falls off his stool, hitting the ground hard and staying down a moment.

He blindly reaches for Momoi's ribbons. They're easy to find, she's close and with the fall, her ribbons are trained on him already.

"Are you okay?" One of her hands curls around his bicep and she pulls him to his feet. There's a flash of pink but he's on his feet.

"Yes, just- I was dreaming, I believe. What time is it?"

Momoi looks to a brass plate atop one of the work tables. It's filled to the rim with ever shifting liquid, like a thick wine of some kind. She concentrates on it for a moment before arriving at her answer.

"A quarter past midnight, I believe. I hadn't realized that you'd fallen asleep."

Kuroko shakes his head, taking a seat on his recently vacated stool.

The pendant he was working on is nearly done, all that's left is to loop the cord through it, maybe polish it up a little beforehand.

"Is everything okay?" She sits beside him, taking up whatever she'd been working on before he fell. It looks like a potion of some kind, from the faint scent of cinnamon, this seems to be Kiyoshi's pain killer.

"Just a dream, Momoi, it wasn't bad."

There's an unspoken sentiment, and he knows that Momoi understands what he means. It wasn't _that_ dream. The one that wakes him up manifesting and seconds away from broadcasting heartache and agony. It's a good thing they live outside of the main town.

"If you're sure," she says, sparing one hand to squeeze his shoulder.

They go back to work, Kuroko manifesting a number of colors on his hands as he works the stone over.

He tries to shake the residual feelings from his dream but his mind drifts further into it instead.

They hadn't been working as a unit for very long before Kise. They all knew Momoi and she was their central connection. Aomine and Momoi grew up together, Murasakibara was Akashi's attendant, and Midorima was the head of the royal archers, as well as their archivist and records keeper. Not only that, Midorima and Akashi had met as children when they were sent abroad for schooling. Kuroko got to know Momoi because she was the only magic user in the immediate vicinity. He hadn't interacted with the others until Momoi let slip to Akashi that Kuroko was an Empath. The point being, they all knew each other in some degree.

Then Kise came along.

Kise had just been a knight, one that none of them paid particular mind to. They hadn't known him growing up, nobody interacted with him much. Kuroko had noted his ribbons though, as he made it a habit to remember any ribbons that existed outside the norm. Akashi had picked out Kise's potential during a tournament, and had been keeping an eye on him since apparently. Kuroko hadn't met anyone with such a high compatibility. After a few days of working together, Kise's ribbons changed, becoming the ever shifting particles of shining sand that Kuroko favors.

What he doesn't understand is why Kise was the subject of his dream. Usually it's Aomine, as his sync was the deepest set.

He'd like to say he doesn't believe in dreams or fate or things of that nature, but he lives with Momoi.

"Let's get to bed," Momoi says. "We'll work until midday then go for the castle."

"That sounds fine."

Momoi bottles up her potions, placing one lightly simmering concoction in a stasis, before dusting her hands and proppering her fists on her hips.

"You're sure you're all right?" she asks.

"I am, I doubt I'll have trouble sleeping. You go on, I'm going to do a perimeter check, then I'll go to bed."

She pulls him into a hug before disappearing toward her bedroom.

Kuroko goes to his room as well, right toward the wood box holding the dagger. He keeps it in its sheath and makes his way to the center of the shop, grabbing a piece of chalk from the workroom before doing so.

He sits down, crossing his legs and lays the dagger down so he can draw on the floorboards. The symbols are simplified versions of the runes on his dagger, and will act as amplifiers when he unsheathes the dagger.

With the symbols complete, Kuroko takes up the dagger once more, closing his eyes. He manifests, altering his colors to a soft green as opposed to grey. He unsheathes the dagger in a single, smooth motion and inhales at the same time.

His reach expands at a nauseating pace and he nearly breaks focus. He's not sure what it is that he's looking for, but maybe this will put him at ease.

He can reach well into town with this, brushing past the first several streets. There's nothing he doesn't expect, very few people are out and about. In the opposite direction, the travel road is utterly deserted, and the only ribbons he can sense from the forest belong to animals. He draws closer and closer until he's reaching just beyond the walls of the shop.

There's nothing.

Kuroko sheathes the dagger and smudges out the chalk symbols as best he can. He'll clean them up later, no one will be in the shop tomorrow besides himself and Momoi, and she'll be out with Aomine until the evening. He can clean them off properly before she returns.

Back in his room, Kuroko hangs a marble in the air then places his dagger in the box and latches it shut. He hesitates before placing his book about magical plants on top of it, for good measure. He lays the pendant beside the box, content to leave that for tomorrow as well.

He sits in bed, back against the wall and his Empath book in his lap. He manifests enough to cover the book, revealing the text scrawled in pink. The pink writings talk about the more prominent means of using Empathy in a beneficial way. There's even a small section that mentions the technique that Kuroko used to wake up Kagami. Another part has a few incomplete lines, likely rambling thoughts, on ways that Empathy can be used to accelerate healing. Kuroko hasn't dabbled with that, only numbed pain or amplified actual healing magic. If he can maybe figure this out, however, then maybe he can do something for Kiyoshi and Kise both.

The text in orange has short, concise lines talking about ribbons changes, including color and state. It doesn't mention a grey lock of any kind, but states that shifts in color can come with shifts in character or ideology. Usually the changes are gradual, slowly changing over time, but sudden, dramatic shifts could be indicative of split second decisions with grave impacts. Midorima, Murasakibara, Aomine, and Kise's ribbons all belong in the former category, and while Akashi's gradually shifted as well, they didn't shift to completely gold until the sync was broken.

Kuroko thinks to what Himuro told him, of his mother killing a man. The Empath induced violence in the book came in the form of causing emotions so intense that they came with physical consequences. Anxiety and anger in high degrees to stop the heart, exhaustion to wear down the body, shock to addle the brain, combinations of high intensity emotions in rapid succession could be used to put someone in an unconscious state.

He'd rather not entertain that thought, but he can see how it would be possible.

Gold and silver are more abstract than emotions, Kuroko's not entirely sure they _are_ emotions. The silver in Momoi's ribbons seems to be some kind of mark of magic. He uses gold for pain, the color simply appeared when his intention was to make one of his injured teammates feel better. Add to that the fact that he's only used it for minor injuries, things they can power through without hurting themselves, or when they're on bedrest and it won't matter.

Kuroko closes the book and stops manifesting, setting aside before rubbing at his eyes.

"Tomorrow," he whispers, "I'll try tomorrow."

He holds out his hand for the marble and his room is dark before it hits his palm.

* * *

Momoi's ribbons reach up through the floorboards, waking him up with their humming. He shoos them back down and sits up in bed, squinting at the faint light spilling from his window. Judging by the ribbons, Momoi hasn't been awake much longer than Kuroko has.

He dresses quickly, making a poor attempt at fixing his hair. He stands in front of his desk where the dagger box and the pendent sit.

He's going to make an effort, he told Momoi as much and he's not interested in breaking his word to her. As long as the dagger stays sheathed, there won't be a problem.

Most of his old knight specific items reside in the chest in the far corner of his room. He tries not to open it much, until now there's never been anything that he needed from it. Beneath his travel cloak with the Miracle Knights insignia stitched on the back, and between a set of black leather arm guards, is a carefully kept belt of dark stained leather.

He fastens it around his waist, taking a moment to readjust to the once familiar feeling. When the alien sensation has more or less passed, he takes the dagger from the box and slips it into place.

Then there's the pendant.

He's yet to put it on, fearing the outcome and he's not entirely sure if he wants it to work or not.

He holds it by the cord and doesn't put it on until he's at the bottom of the stairs.

There's no physical change, nothing immediately anyway.

Kuroko looks down to his hands, mouth dropping open as he sees wispy tendrils of faded color rising from his skin. The wisps disappear when they reach a certain point, but they're constantly in motion.

He moves to the doorway so he can see Momoi and her ribbons and stops immediately.

One of the ribbons floats over to him, wrapping around his hand. It's bigger, the pink not so much brighter as it is more clear. There's a shimmer overlay, and the silver has spread further through the pink. Her general joy is little more than a waterfall crashing into him, crystal clear and sharper than any sword point. The intensity fades after only a moment but the clarity remains.

It worked?

Momoi looks up, a sleepy smile on her lips.

"Morning, did you manage to sleep?"

"I, uh, yes, I did, thank you."

"Something the matter?"

"No, actually," Kuroko takes a breath and moves to give her a hug, "I think it's going to be okay today. I hope anyway."

Momoi lets out a small bout of laughter before pulling away to give him a cup of coffee.

"I'm glad. Now, drink up, we still have a few things to-"

Kuroko follows her line of sight to his belt and reaches for one of her ribbons, just in case.

She only smiles, her ribbons gaining a hazy yellow shimmer around them as the pink sings higher. The silver emits a soft tone like chimes, and the world swims in pink even in the absence of physical contact.

"We still have things to do," she says, "let's go."

They work until roughly a half hour before noon. Kuroko acts as an amplifier, the process eased along by the pendant, and Momoi's able to finish twice the potions she set out to complete. She declares the two of them done once she's managed to work out the basics of her newest spelled item. They tidy up the workshop, Momoi giving him one last proud, beaming smile. At Kuroko's request, she brews a batch of the calming draught, which he transfers to his flask, topping it off with a straight pour of the liquor Momoi has stashed behind the herbs.

He knows she sees him do it, but she doesn't say anything, just squeezes his shoulder. Momoi knows what it's for, and she can entertain thoughts of her own as to what Kuroko's use of the draught means.

Momoi goes to her room to change, and Kuroko packs his satchel with the vials of pain killers and a note about dosage. He waits by the counter for Momoi, fidgeting with the pendant around his neck. There's not such a great effect when it's not directly touching his skin, he finds that the wisps of color rising from his body vanish when the pendant rests against his shirt.

"Do you think he's told Riko yet?" Momoi asks as they set out.

She's out of her usual witch's garb, wearing pants for once, her hair done up in a bun. Kuroko's not sure what she has planned with Aomine, but it looks like a training day. Or maybe they'll be visiting Aomine's family at the smithy, Momoi's mentioned wanting to forge something. Either way, it's none of Kuroko's concern.

"I'm not sure. If he hasn't, then Kagetora has. We haven't had any reports of trainees dropping dead from exhaustion, hopefully everything's fine."

"She was a field medic at one point, wasn't she? Akashi never told me why he put her in charge."

"She was a field medic, yes. She was going to be a soldier but decided to help her father instead. She earned her rank in combat though, unofficially. I think Kiyoshi got Nijimura to vouch for her."

"Well, hopefully, she can pull some genius together and fix Kiyoshi, it would be a shame to put him out of commission so soon. I can't help but worry that this is going to crush him."

"I can try to keep him from getting to that point."

Their talk moves to the more mundane as they get into town. The extent of Kiyoshi's injury isn't common knowledge; he was a prominent military figure who retired early in order to run the kingdom while its Baron was away, that's the story. Kiyoshi and Akashi both prefer it that way. Riko and Kagetora certainly won't say anything about it, and any high ranking officials who may know are under threat. Kuroko doesn't know what that threat is, but he figures it's better that way.

Momoi greets the guards with a smile and a simple charm, and Kuroko slips in alongside her unnoticed. The castle grounds aren't entirely busy, no more than they expect anyway. They make their way down the familiar path to the infirmary, pausing a moment once they've arrived.

"Shall we?" Momoi asks.

Kuroko opens the door for her in answer, following her inside.

If it's possible, Kiyoshi looks even worse than when Kuroko last saw them. He doubts the man slept through the night. Kiyoshi's body is thrumming with tension and deep seated aches but even worse is the state of his ribbons.

They're in utter disrepair, nothing but grey and fraying edges, a single strand of pink through each straining to stay put. What's more is the numerous roses blooming all along the ribbons. A veritable garden of pain that shows no sign of fading. He's not just physical weak, but he's both mentally and emotionally drained.

Kuroko wouldn't be surprised if he faints within the next couple of hours.

He digs into the satchel for one of the vials and strides up to Kiyoshi's bedside.

"Oh, Kuroko, Momoi, pleasure to see you both," Kiyoshi says, smiling weakly.

Kagetora is tending another patient, a new one from the three Kuroko saw last time. It doesn't look like a major injury, could be a break, or even a dislocation.

"Drink this, two sips," Kuroko says, handing the bottle to Kiyoshi before taking a seat on he edge of the cot.

Without questioning, Kiyoshi does as he's told, stoppering the bottle before handing it back to Kuroko.

It takes a moment for the potion to kick in but the roses diminish from the ribbons, and some of the grey fades as well. It's an improvement, a minor improvement but one all the same.

"Hello, Kiyoshi, how are you feeling?" Momoi brings over a stool from near Kagetora's table and sits down.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. I'm more worried about Riko than myself really, but it is what it is."

"She took it poorly then?" Momoi asks.

"She hasn't spoken to me since I told her."

The tendrils of black seeping into Kiyoshi's ribbons are worrying, and Kuroko gears his focus toward changing them for the better. He manifest just enough that his fingertips are coated, and starts to work in streaks of pink and gold, trying to combat the current state of the ribbons. He's not sure what he can do about the fraying, but now is as good a time as any for low risk experiments.

White light gathers at the edges of Kiyoshi's ribbons, closing in around the worst of the fraying like a patch job. Kuroko attaches it to some of the pink streaks and hopes for the best.

"How do they look?" Momoi asks.

"Terrible."

"Tetsu!"

"It's fine, Momoi, I'd rather him be honest than not," Kiyoshi says with a laugh.

A resounding crack echoes through the infirmary and Kuroko snaps to attention. Instinctually, he reaches for the ribbons of the young rookie laid out near Kagetora. She's clutching her shoulder, panting lightly as Kagetora pokes around the joint. It was indeed a dislocation, then. Kuroko sends a few streaks of pink to drown out the roses, and a couple of strains of gold for good measure.

She gets up to leave a moment later, thanking Kagetora as she goes and gawking a little at Momoi before closing the door behind her.

"Well, it's good to see you two again," Kagetora says. "His legs aren't as bad as I initially thought, but there's no way he'll be combat ready again. I was hoping you could include him on that red haired kid's sessions once I get him stabilized."

"Kagami? He's already walking," Momoi says. "He's on crutches, but still walking on his own. I think we really only have one more session with him, I haven't spoken with Riko about it. Anyway, we're more than happy to do sessions with Kiyoshi."

The man in question doesn't look entirely bothered by the fact that they're talking about him as if he's not in the room. Kuroko twists his ribbons around, patching up the frayed edges as they happen.

Momoi and Kagetora step off to the side to talk, leaving Kiyoshi and Kuroko at the cot.

"Are you okay with all of this?" Kuroko asks.

Kiyoshi rubs at his neck, thinking hard. Some of his ribbons twine around Kuroko, the fraying edges poking through the white seals in some spots.

"Well, the Baron actually came to see me."

"Really?"

Kuroko straightens up, turning to face Kiyoshi properly.

"Yes, I already act in his stead when the lot of them go off on missions, you know this. Uh, he wanted me to serve officially on the council, as the head of it, I suppose. I'd actually have some ground to stand on. I'd keep my rank and all, but I'd get a provisional one, maybe circumstantial is a better way to put it. Either way, it'd keep me off my feet. I'd get an office."

He chuckles a little, putting on a light hearted smile. If Kuroko weren't an Empath, he'd believe that smile. Kiyoshi's ribbons flood dark blue a moment, drowning out the pink for a split second before receding.

"Well, that sounds good, all things considered," Kuroko says.

"It does, doesn't it? I asked him why he'd even consider keeping me on but he just smiled in that weird way he does, you know? Then he left. I, uh, found this letter here when I woke up."

Kiyoshi digs around his blanket and pulls out a still pristine folded letter, Akashi's seal obviously wax imposed on it. The seal is broken now, of course, but it's a clean break. Kiyoshi hands it over and Kuroko unfolds it, scanning the contents quickly, eyebrows raised in surprise.

It's an official appointment, his new rank, his position on the council, his expanded duties, a confirmation that he's still willing to act as the provisional Baron when Akashi is away.

"Same rank as Riko now?" Kuroko asks with a smile.

"It's just one rank up," Kiyoshi says. "My rank isn't public knowledge, as far as anyone is concerned, I haven't moved up since I was a captain."

Kuroko hands the letter back, finding a bit of pink in Kiyoshi's ribbons, independent of Kuroko's influence.

"Once Kagetora gets you set up, we'll help you with the recovery."

"Thank you, though I don't think I'll make a miraculous recovery like Kagami, apparently he's already walking."

"On crutches, yes. With luck we'll get you walking with a cane at least."

Kiyoshi claps his hand down on Kuroko's shoulder.

"Thank you, and Momoi too."

"Of course."

They stay and talk for a bit longer. Kagetora outlines a rehabilitation plan, and works out a schedule for Kiyoshi and Momoi. They leave the pain killers in Kagetora's care, Momoi having broached the worry of addiction. Kiyoshi falls asleep before they go.

Momoi takes Kuroko's hand once they're outside.

"Will you be all right today?" she asks.

"I wouldn't worry."

"What are you planning?"

"I'm going to talk to Kise," Kuroko says. "Hopefully the necklace with help with the nausea, at least long enough to try and work something out. If that fails I have the flask."

"Do you think you can, uh, break the lock? Is that what you said?"

Kuroko smiles, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Yes. I'm going to try, anyway, I have a few theories."

"Let me know how it goes, okay?"

Kuroko nods and they begin to part ways, but he stops suddenly.

"Momoi?"

"Yes?"

"Tell Aomine that I'm trying, please? And the others too, if you see them?"

She only nods, placing one hand over her heart before turning around and walking off.

Well, he can't back out now, Momoi won't let him, not after that.

Kuroko stays where he is for a moment, gathering himself together before drawing in a breath.

It's easiest to start with Kise, not just for the compatibility, but for the fact that his grey had already broken once before. When, if, Kise's grey breaks permanently, he can help Kuroko with breaking Aomine's. Kise hadn't understood Empaths and ribbons when they first met, and Kuroko doesn't expect him to now. But, if he manages to break his grey, then maybe he can talk to Aomine about what it felt like.

Kuroko's not entirely certain as to what will happen, or how long it will take to break the grey.

He settles the pendant beneath his shirt, exhaling slowly as the world swims around him. He purposely restricts his reach, pulling it away from the town and directing toward the training field. There's a lot of space dedicated to their soldiers, Akashi will accept nothing less than perfection from those who defend the kingdom.

Usually, Kise likes practicing alone, whenever Aomine isn't around anyway, so he'll go as far away as possible while still staying on the training grounds. Even with that in mind, Kuroko can't sense the voided space. Kise's probably out of his reach then. He keeps his dagger sheathed and stops walking.

Slowly, carefully, he focuses on the groups of soldiers dotting the field. He starts from the castle and works his way outward, following the trail of fading yellow streaks.

 _"So, what now?"_

 _"Just go about your day," Kuroko says._

 _"And you're just going to tag along?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _Kise shrugs and stands up._

 _Everyone else has left already; Akashi and Murasakibara are in a meeting, Aomine's at the smithy, and Midorima...Kuroko's not sure what he's doing. Regardless, per Akashi's orders, Kuroko's only plans are to observe Kise._

 _"I usually spend my morning practicing," Kise says. "I didn't think I'd be eating with you guys, and usually I don't eat until after my personal training, so if I'm a little off, that's why. I'm good though, I promise. I guess I kind of have to be, if the Baron chose me."_

 _"Just call him Akashi," Kuroko says, "at least when it's just us."_

 _"Okay, Akashi it is."_

 _Kise continues to babble as they make their way outside, mostly asking questions about the others._

 _"So, you're a Miracle Knight too?" Kise asks. He throws one of his arms around Kuroko's shoulders, a shimmering yellow sheen tinting the world around him once more._

 _"Not in the same capacity as the others, but yes, that is correct."_

 _Kise's ribbons haven't let go of him since they gripped forearms at breakfast. Upon contact, the shimmery yellow ribbons had erupted in a burst of light. They changed form, becoming brighter and ever shifting as though made of golden sand. Though their dominant color is a bright golden yellow, they maintain several streaks of pink._

 _As they pass by fellow soldiers, Kise waves hello, even engaging in conversation with a few of them._

 _Curious._

 _For everyone they pass, the ribbons of those Kise interacts with bare a streak of yellow with strains of pink. Their ribbons haven't touched, all of Kise's are looped around Kuroko in some fashion or another, but Kise's presence seems to be enough._

Kuroko gets a rough location and begins walking, holding the pendant away from his skin until he's within reach of Kise.

It's a bit of a walk, because of course Kise's on the opposite side of the training grounds, but Kuroko manages without much trouble.

He's not entirely sure how to begin, though. In retrospect, he probably should have figured that out before hand, but he's here now so there's nothing to do but move along now. He's moving blind at this point, this is uncharted territory for a number of reasons.

When he starts to feel the voided space, he takes a swig from his flask and slows his walk down until the draught takes effect. He grimaces at the kick from the liquor, but figures it'll be worth it in the long run, he takes one more drink.

What he expects and what he sees don't match up at all.

He expects to see Kise training, probably doing the sword forms he's so fond of, maybe just stretching even. He expects to see Kise humming to himself as he trains, muttering motivation under his breath as he fights imagined targets.

He sees Kise on the ground, eyes glassy with tears as his hands are locked over one of his knees. His knuckles are white and he's shaking, sweat beginning to gather at his brow. He sees Kise devolve into a fit, curled in on himself, his ribbons snapping all around him in a frenzy.

The grey is too thick for Kuroko to see through it, but he doesn't have to be an Empath to know that Kise's fallen into a fit of some kind.

Kuroko hurries closer, dropping to his knees at Kise's side.

He can't do anything with Kise's ribbons, and the man himself doesn't seem to be responding to Kuroko's presence. He's seen his fair share of breakdowns like this, Kise's had one before when a mission went bad, but there are others. The issue being, now, Kuroko can't access Kise's ribbons to halt the panic.

"All right, Kise, I just need you to trust me right now, okay?"

Even with the pendant, Kuroko's can't do anything about the grey, and Kise's panic is starting to work its way into him. There aren't any other ribbons close enough to draw on so Kuroko takes a breath and closes his eyes.

He manifests his colors, changing the grey to a light purple. Once the colors are visible, he grabs Kise's face, palms to cheeks, and broadcasts just far enough to encompass the two of them.

Kise's still panicking though, his ribbons wrapping around him, preventing Kuroko's broadcast from getting through.

It's irrationally frustrating. He's an _Empath_ , this is what he's made for, and he can't do it because of the grey.

Kuroko can feel the purple bleeding into anger as he gives into his frustration and immediately stops broadcasting.

Kise doesn't seem as deep into his own mind, and Kuroko can make out a few of the words he's mumbling to himself. It's something about his leg, about his status as a knight, he's afraid it will be taken from him.

Kuroko tries again, manifesting the purple but not broadcasting just yet.

"Kise," he tries again. "Kise, I need you to listen to me. I can fix this, I can help, but I need you to stop fighting."

The ribbons stick tight to Kise's body a moment, before loosening only slightly.

It's progress, it means Kise is somewhat cognizant.

"Okay, okay," Kuroko can't bring his voice above a whisper. He focuses on the purple, putting one hand on Kise's face, the other making an attempt to loosen the death grip Kise has on his knee. "Focus on the color."

The purple is visible, and due to the pendent it's rising off his body in wisps instead of just outlining him. He starts to broadcast again, pushing the color forward slowly, moving it fractionally closer to Kise.

"Listen to me, Kise, focus on the color, focus on me, trust me. I'll help you, I just need you to trust me."

Kise's eyes come into focus, still wet with tears and now rimmed red. He's still shaking, fighting a little, but Kuroko keeps talking, keeps broadcasting.

The moment that Kise stops shaking is the very same moment that the world tints yellow and golden sand swirls through the air.

* * *

I was gonna drag this out longer, but the second I decided there were gonna be flashbacks I went 'nah, we gotta do this now'. And that's how this chapter came into being. In any case, I'm actually pretty proud of this one, so I'd love to know what you thought of it!

If you haven't already, take a look at the tumblr, wire-pudding, it's there for info, updates, and general fic stuff. That's where any relevant story information resides, so check that out.


	12. Chapter 12

_Before Kuroko can blink, unfiltered rage races along the ribbons, hitting the anchor points with a thunderclap. One of the ribbons goes limp and Kuroko identifies it as Midorima's. The rage fills his body, burning him from the inside out and tearing a scream from his throat._

 _He searches through the firestorm for the other ribbons, following them deeper into the sync. By Akashi's calm, despite the rage, Midorima isn't gravely injured. By Murasakibara's frustration, he's in a tight spot, unable to help as he's more or less swarmed by assailants. Kise and Aomine share a determination, which tells Kuroko they've taken up defensive positions. There's no conversation to catch, just heavy breathing and war cries as they fight._

 _Kuroko manifests his colors to negate the rage bleeding into him. He can't work if he's angry, not with blood coloring his vision and anchoring him down. The others can't work if they're angry either, he needs them level headed. He grabs hold of the anchor ribbons, winding them about his hands as he draws in a breath._

 _They'll be fighting him on this, some of them like having the rage boost while they fight, but it makes them sloppy, makes them reckless. If Midorima is injured, they need to be level headed._

 _They're holding tight to it though, Kuroko can't get any colors through without the rage immediately swallowing the color up._

 _Damn._

 _Kuroko takes a deeper breath and holds it._

 _The rage slams into him full force, drawn out of their ribbons and into him. The calm from himself ekes out into their anchor ribbon, soon coloring the rest._

 _He's on fire, vision red, body heavy. He wants to scream but his throat is closed up. There's not a single coherent thought in his head, it's nothing but a hash of unfiltered violent desire. He drops to his knees, hands to his chest as the flames rise._

 _The flow of the exchange keeps his newly acquired rage from seeping back into the anchor ribbons, but it does nothing to stop the angry, flickering tendrils of his manifestation from whipping about._

 _He tries to keep focus on his friends, to take stock of their well being, to let him know when he can let go of the rage, but he can't even see straight-_

 _He's too late in stepping away, too late in removing himself from the situation._

 _The ribbons about him swell with grief, heavy and crushing as the world swims in blue and grey and black._

 _The soldiers carrying the stretcher with the princess come to a stop before the king, and Kuroko's knees buckle. He ends up grabbing Akashi's arm to keep himself standing. The sudden inferno of red and pink does nothing to combat the utter misery swimming in the air._

 _Ribbons reach out for him, curling about his body and obscuring his vision as his sight grows darker and darker. He's not the only one crying, but it's not his sadness, not his loss. The sheer amount of disappointment rolling off his friends alone is enough to keep him unsteady._

 _They're disappointed in themselves._

 _Technically, they didn't fail. They were contacted after the princess had been taken, the king knew his daughter may have been killed, he just wanted her back. And they'd brought her back, just not alive, she'd been dead when they got to her. Still._

 _Kuroko lets go of Akashi, only to nearly collapse. Grief is heavy, it's strong enough with just one person, but with a whole room it's unbearable. His vision goes fuzzy at the edges, and he feels an arm slide around his waist, a hand grab hold of his wrist, as his legs give out beneath him._

 _Aomine is silent, eyes fixed straight ahead, ribbons alternating between fluttering about and clinging close to Kuroko. He keeps Kuroko upright, holding most of his weight, and for that Kuroko is grateful._

 _The room begins to empty, allowing the king privacy as he begins to grieve in earnest._

 _Even as Aomine moves Kuroko from the room, the weight in the air doesn't go away. There are still too many ribbons in the immediate vicinity, all with highly potent emotions._

 _They make it through the doorway when Kuroko's body goes limp. He's drowning, vision blurred, lungs burning, and he falls right out of Aomine's hold. He hits the ground, curling tight in on himself as a fresh wave of tears rolls down his face._

 _There's too much, too much, too much. He can't-_

 _The battle is over and Kuroko's laid out on his back, his vision swimming as his friends' victory euphoria takes him over. Their ribbons are humming, singing, shaking, glowing bright enough to spark a headache at the base of Kuroko's skull. His chest rises and falls as he breathes deeply, his body lighter than air._

 _Aomine and Kise's ribbons are the brightest and the lightest, while quiet satisfaction grows within Midorima and Murasakibara's ribbons. Akashi's are filled with tampered down glee, and Kuroko smiles._

 _He stays on the ground until they rejoin him, accepting Aomine's hand in standing. The world swims in blue, then yellow as Kise drapes himself over Kuroko's shoulders._

 _He feels giddy, warm, he feels victorious. The ribbons around him are all colored similarly, the anchor points glowing the brightest. It's a lot, but it's nothing he's not handled before. Like this, the world feels better, moving is easier, so is breathing, he feels like he stands atop the highest mountain, as though-_

The empty chasm that took up its home in Kuroko's chest is filled, not to bursting, but it's filled all the same. In that instant, warmth washes through Kuroko's body, from his head to his toes, and his chest almost aches for how much he's missed this feeling.

The world is filtered through yellow, golden sand drifting about in lazy patterns, ignoring the slight breeze, and clinging to their bodies, covering the both of them in glittering specks. Kuroko nearly jumps when he feels a number of ribbons loop around his arms.

The evershifting yellow is interrupted by faint strains of exhaustion and worry. Kuroko puts those strains to rights without thinking, glee bubbling up as he interacts with Kise's ribbons once again. He latches onto them, holding them tight, tears building in his eyes.

"Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko blinks, vision still blurry. He sees wisps of grey and pink rising from his hands where they're still touching Kise's cheeks. He's still manifesting, the pendant still touching his skin. He's crying too, tears pouring down his face. His body is shaking, a warmth blooming in his chest. He can't stop the tears, and he has no great urge to. The wisps swell around him, nearly encompassing both him and Kise in a glow of grey and pink.

He knows he has to collect himself though. There's a reason he's here, a reason he can suddenly interact with Kise's ribbons once more.

Kuroko removes his hands from Kise's face, the yellow tint and swirling sand vanishing immediately. He dries his eyes and takes a breath. He conjures up some calm, introducing it both to himself and to Kise's ribbons. It takes a couple of minutes for it to really take hold, and Kuroko is still teary eyed by the end of it. Reality slots into place rather roughly, leaving him hyper aware of his surroundings.

He'd been looking for Kise. He'd found Kise. He'd found Kise in a panic.

"Do you feel better?" Kuroko's voice comes out dry and raspy. He doesn't even know why he's asking, he can _see_ Kise's ribbons now. He _knows_ that Kise is feeling okay, the panic is gone, the confusion is there, but that's easily attributed to him seeing the color rising off Kuroko's body.

Kuroko lifts the pendant from his chest, letting it settle outside of his shirt. The wisps disappear but Kise's still staring. Kuroko digs in his bag for a handkerchief, holding it out to Kise. Come to think of it, he should have used it for himself, but there's no point now.

"I- yes, but, you-" Kise takes the handkerchief and dries his face, his gaze lingering on the insignia embroidered into the corner of the handkerchief. "You haven't done that since you left."

He's brought Kise out of a panic before, if he's being honest, he'd thought that Kise would have forgotten about it. He's still sorting out the past couple of minutes, trying to figure out what made the grey shatter. He's happy it did, and he doesn't want to downplay what happened, but he wants to know why.

He toys with Kise's ribbons, smoothing out the pulsing strains of grey that appear when Kise draws in a shaky breath. Kuroko slips in strains of pink and purple to combat the fatigue and tension that follows such attacks. There are small roses blooming through the ribbons, and Kuroko takes care of those too, finding that they don't vanish completely. A deep seated ache then, something they'll have to medicate instead of magic away.

The actions are so natural, as easily as he adjusts Momoi's ribbons, as if nothing has changed. They feel the same, a bit more tired perhaps, a touch on the side of too bright, but the same nevertheless

Kise's words click together and Kuroko gets the stunning impression that he might have had more attacks since then. Momoi's rings only show changes in physical state, there's no mental indicator. Kise wouldn't say anything about it, and the others wouldn't know because he can usually keep himself together until he's alone.

"You haven't done that since you left," Kise repeats, his voice soft but rising in pitch toward the end as though he's stumbled upon an epiphany. "But you can do it now?"

Kuroko nods, wiping the last of his tears away..

Kise grins, face still red and splotchy from crying.

"I can't believe it."

Neither can Kuroko.

A fresh wave of tears starts up, pouring down Kise's face, but his ribbons show only relief and faint strains of joy. He's practically sobbing into the handkerchief, apparently coming to terms with what's just happened.

"So what does that mean, exactly?" Kise asks once Kuroko's put enough calm into his ribbons. "What now?"

Kuroko thinks back to the first time he told the others about his ribbons, and the times he tried to explain Empathy before giving up on the endeavor as a whole.

"I can...connect- no, that's the wrong word. Before, the last mission I went on, do you remember that?"

"You went to Momoi's, and we didn't see you for a few days, she said you were sick. You didn't talk on the way back, you nearly fell off your horse," Kise says after a moment.

Kuroko's surprised he remembers that. Kise was near the front with Aomine, Kuroko had stayed near the back, swaying atop his horse, trying to reconcile what had happened, staring in horror at the grey locks. He kept dropping his reins to clutch at his chest, expecting to feel an actual hole there, as if he'd be able to reach inside and find nothing. It wasn't a good ride back.

"After that, my...abilities couldn't work on you all. Now, they do, but just on you."

 _For now._

Kuroko searches for his next words but finds his mind drifting back to that last mission.

The others had gone back to the castle first, instead of straight to Momoi's. There weren't major injuries, but it was one of their worse missions, so they'd needed a bit of medical attention, simply to err on the side of caution. Kuroko sent them off with his horse and went to Momoi's by himself. He'd asked her to set up a room in the months previous, when their ribbons first started to change. The shop had been open when he returned, he was still in his regalia, dirty from travel. He'd gone to his room and locked himself away while he tried to keep himself from broadcasting the pain that had begun building in his chest. That was first time Momoi saw his colors, she'd come in to see if he was okay and saw the grey surrounding his shaking body.

She accepted his promise to explain later, he just needed to put himself together. When he was alone again, he snatched up the ribbons drifting through the floorboards, coiling Momoi's tightly to him. He didn't alter them, just kept them close and allowed the colors to bleed into him. It was a poor replacement for the other's ribbons. It was that night that the void inside him finally took shape. He could suddenly feel what he never knew he was _lacking_. The emotions of his friends had been so potent, so powerful, that there was enough to keep Kuroko's Empathic abilities sated ten times over.

Then they were just gone.

"That day," Kuroko continues, clearing his throat, "something happened, and I'm still working out the specifics, but whatever it was, it's gone for you now."

"That's good?"

Kuroko feels his lips tug up into a smile.

"Let me show you."

Kise doesn't say anything but his ribbons betray his curiosity. Kuroko takes hold of several of them, ignoring the fact that one of them keeps trying to wind into Kise's old anchor point. He takes a deep breath and begins to manifest once more, closing his eyes. He initiates a flow of emotions, allowing Kise to feel the warmth that's replaced the void in Kuroko's chest. There's not a set color for the emotion, it's simply _right_ and Kuroko doesn't have an issue with that.

After a minute or so, Kuroko stops the flow, stops manifesting, and opens his eyes.

Kise's tearing up but he seems to have forgotten the handkerchief he's still holding.

"Oh."

Then Kuroko remembers why they're here in the first place.

"What happened?" he asks. "To make you panic, I mean."

The ribbons flood with sheepishness and Kise averts his gaze. He dries his eyes and his ribbons tense up where they're wrapped around Kuroko.

"It's not a big deal," he mumbles, "I just freaked out over nothing." He worries the handkerchief through his hands, wringing it before smoothing it out and handing it back to Kuroko. With his hands now free, one of them rises to his neck to toy with one of the charms hanging there.

"Kise."

The ribbons snap out for a moment in frustration before resettling around Kuroko.

Kise takes a breath and eases out of his hunched position, he lets go of the charm and leans back to rest most of his weight on his hands.

"My leg locked up," he says.

"And?"

"And I remember what happened to Kiyoshi, how he was moved into a non-combative position. I don't want that to happen to me," Kise sniffles. "See, told you it wasn't a big deal."

Kuroko makes himself comfortable, still fiddling with Kise's ribbons. The warmth filling his chest has yet to fade and he's still adjusting to the feeling after so long without it. That being said, there still remains a strange sort of disconnect. He can feel Kise's emotions and his ribbons like always, but there's something missing.

It's not like how it is with Momoi, though it should be. Kise's ribbons are open to him, Kuroko can feel the half truths in Kise's words, feel his anxiety over what might happen if his leg gets worse, can feel the pain as well as he can feel the joy. He has Kise's ribbons wrapped all around him, practically clinging to him by this point. He transmits calm, combating fatigue and amplifying joy as he introduces gold to handle the pain that still persists.

"Your injury isn't as bad," Kuroko says, leaning back on his hands to mirror Kise. "And Kiyoshi agreed to his assignment. Akashi won't remove you."

"He might though, I'm no use as a knight if I can't even fight."

Kuroko sends a jolt through the ribbons, a combination of emotions meant to snap Kise to attention, jumpstarting his body just a little.

"What was that for?"

"Akashi won't remove you," Kuroko repeats. "I told you to take care of your leg. Have you?"

"Of course I have."

Oh, how Kuroko's missed being able to tell lies from truth.

"Kise."

Kise refuses to meet his eyes for a few moments. He's tense, worried, fearful, Kuroko adds calm until the base yellow of Kise's ribbons are practically swimming in purple. Kise ends up laying down in his back, arms out to his sides.

"Okay, okay, probably not as good as I should be."

"You aren't required to drill, you can rest sometimes."

Kise makes a little humming noise and closes his eyes.

"I don't know why we're focusing on me," he says. "Your whole Empath thing that happened is more interesting."

"You're deflecting."

"So are you."

"I don't know why the lock vanished. You know why you panicked, there's more to go on there."

Silence stretches for a while, Kuroko keeps an eye on Kise's ribbons. They're streaked in pink and purple of their own accord now, the yellow still shining brilliantly through.

"Will things go back to how they were before?" Kise asks at last. "I want them to."

Kuroko does too. If things went back to how they were before, he'd never ask for anything, never want for anything again. It's not their fault, he _knows_ that. How could they possibly understand the eccentricities of Empathic magic when he himself barely knows how it works? At the same time, he can't help but be bitter. It was his job to keep them together, he made them powerful, helped them operate levels above other knights. He put them at the highest possible caliber.

Then they decided that his skills were no longer needed.

When the dust settled, he couldn't even be near them without nausea grabbing hold of his insides and wringing him out. He couldn't interact with their ribbons, couldn't even _see_ Aomine and Kise's. He has yet to figure out how and why Murasakibara's ribbons shocked him, or why Akashi's ribbons changed so drastically.

If things go back to how they were, that would mean putting all of his hurt behind him. He's not sure if he's ready to do that, or if he even can.

The only thing he knows for certain is that this could have all been avoided if they just trusted him. If they listened to him when he told them that he would keep them together, that he could be their source of power, if they just _believed_ in him-

Oh.

* * *

I hope you guys liked this chapter! It was a little shorter than usual I think but that just means the next one will be longer. Please let me know what you think, I was a little nervous while I was writing it.


End file.
